Blue Spiny Starfish

Disk small, with 1–3 madreporites (in some cases up to 5 were observed). Six to nine (rarely 5 and unusually 7) thin, elongate (Fig. 9i, j), cylindrical arms, usually of different sizes, the larger ones grouped to one side and the smaller ones to the opposing side. Abactinal figs with one long, conical and pointed spine (~2.17 mm), with base densely surrounded by bivalve pedicallariae with overlapping valves (Fig. 9l). Carinal figs arranged in a regular series. Dorso-lateral figs forming a reticulum. Papular regions occuring on the abactinal and actinal surfaces. Among the abactinal figs, mainly in the intermediate areas, large bivalve pedicellariae are found. Pedicellariae of dorsal spines sessil and with overlapping bivalves, with denteate margins. Oral pedicallariae bivalve (Fig. 9m), consisting of a basal piece into which two valves with smooth margins fit in. Colour. Specimens from Brazil vary from brown to orange colour (Ventura et al. 2007). According to Clark and Downey (1992), specimens from the Mediterranean are usually yellow or whitish-yellow with black or brown spots on abactinal surface and crowns of rusty-red pedicellariae. Individuals from the Bermudas, on the other hand, with dorsal surface purple and the oral surface yellow, blue or violet (Verrill 1915).

North Carolina, Gulf of Mexico, Antilles, Bermudas, Cuba, Brazil, Portugal, Spain, France and Montenegro (Tommasi 1970, Downey 1973, Clark and Downey 1992, Alves et al. 2002, Waters and Roy 2003, Kascelan and Mandic 2007). In Brazil: BA, ES, and SP, including Abrolhos (Rathbun 1879, Verrill 1915, Brito 1960, Tommasi 1970, Ventura et al. 2007). Intertidal to 165 m in depth (Clark and Downey 1992).