Phylum Echinodemata: Star Fish, Brittle Stars,
Sea Feathers, Sea Cucumbers

Striped Sunstar – (Solaster stimpsoni)

• Size: Arm radius to 10” (25 cm).
• Range: South Bering Sea to Oregon.
• Habitat: On rocks and other surfaces, to 2,000’ (600 m); often intertidal.
• Description: Typically 10 (some times 9) long slim, tapering rays. Each ray has dark purple-blue stripe bordered by blue, pink, red, or orange.

• Size: Arm radius up to 18” (46 cm).
• Range: Alaska to southern California.
• Habitat: On rocky shores and many other surfaces, intertidal to 1,435’ (435 m).
• Description: Broad disc with up to 24 rays; juveniles typically start with 5 rays. Soft flexible body, abundant surface spines, pincers and gills. Orange to mottled red-orange, purple and purple-grey.

• Size: Arm radius up to 6 ¼” (15.5 cm).
• Range: Aleutian Islands to Turtle Bay, Baja California.
• Habitat: On rocky surfaces, intertidal to 1,435’ (435 m).
• Description: Disc often has grey patch. Long, thin arms compared to most other sea stars; orange to brick red. 3 rows of plates along lower side of each ray.

• Size: Disc to ¾” (2 cm) diameter, arm length to 6” (15 cm) or more.
• Range: Alaska to Baja California.
• Habitat: In sand-mud, intertidal to 5,330’ (1,600 m).
• Description: Smooth disc and long rays. Yellow-brown with white markings, occasional red marks.

• Size: Up to 10” (25 cm) high.
• Range: Southern Alaska to South America.
• Habitat: On rock walls in currents, 33-3,300’ (10-990 m).
• Description: 10 feathery arms, tan to reddish tan from a plate that has a ring of jointed appendages (cirri), which hold on to the rock. Not stalked.

• Size: Up to 20” (50 cm) long.
• Range: Gulf of Alaska to Cedros Island, Baja California.
• Habitat: Variety of habitats, intertidal to 820’ (249 m).
• Description: Large and small fleshy papillae (nipple-like projections). A circle of 20 bushy feeding tentacles at on end. Mottled brown-red body, rarely white; juveniles red. Light cream underside, often with commensal scale worm (Arctonoe pulchra).

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