The chocolate chip sea star is a tropical sea star. Its body is relatively thick, and its five arms are short, broad, and only slightly tapered. Its coloration is generally yellow to yellowish brown, with numerous darker spots or areas reminiscent of the chocolate chips that inspired its name.

Its upper surface also bears several thick, rounded tubercles, which are particularly noticeable on the central disc and arms.

The chocolate chip sea star is found in the tropical waters of the eastern Pacific Ocean, particularly along the coasts of Central America, northern South America, and around the Galapagos islands and the Revillagigedo archipelago.

The chocolate chip sea star lives on the seafloor, particularly on rocky substrates in coastal areas. It mainly inhabits areas below the intertidal zone and shallow waters, where it can be observed from the shoreline down to several dozen feet deep.

The chocolate chip sea star feeds mainly on algae growing on the surface of rocks and other underwater surfaces. It particularly consumes encrusting coralline algae, which make up an important part of its diet, as well as other algae and, in smaller quantities, small sessile invertebrates.

The chocolate chip sea star reproduces primarily through sexual reproduction, with separate male and female individuals. In sea stars, the gametes are released into seawater, where fertilization takes place. The embryos then develop into planktonic larvae that undergo metamorphosis before becoming young five-armed sea stars.