Description

Also known as Asteroid, Blue Linckia, Blue Linckia Sea Star, Blue Linckia Star, Blue Linckia Starfish, Blue Starfish, Linckia Sea Star, Pacific Blue Sea Star, Snake Sea Star, Star-of-Blue Sea, Starfish.

Found singly or in a constellation, over shallow waters exposed to sunlight, amongst dead coral, rocks, rubble, sponges, and over algae and seagrass beds, of reef slopes. Blue is its common colour, but varies from place to place.
They feed on detritus and small invertebrates.
Length - 40cm
Depth - 0-60m
Widespread Indo-Pacific

This Sea Star is host to the Sea Star Shrimp Periclimenes soror http://www.whatsthatfish.com/fish/sea-star-shrimp/3011

Sea Stars have remarkable regenerative powers, when attacked and damaged by predators they are able to grow new arms. They usually have five arms but have been found with 4 or 6 arms, this may be because more than one arm has been damaged at one time!
Sometimes small parasitic limpets can be found on the underside of arms which can deform the arms.
They possess a cleverly evolved arsenal of hydraulic tube feet connected to an elaborate water-vascular system that encircles the animal's mouth and extends via five radial canals down the centre of each arm.
Their mouth is underneath, but their prey is absorbed outside their mouths by forcing out their digestive organs from their stomach.
Sea Stars are carnivores and feed on almost any food including molluscs, worms, detritus and each other!
Some sea stars like the crown of thorns can be venomous. Ref: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linckia_laevigata