Sealife guideThe Valvatida orderThe taxonomy of marine species

Explore the taxonomy of marine echinoderms with a dedicated focus on starfish and sea urchins !

The class Asteroidea, commonly known as starfish, includes more than 1,600 known species. These marine animals can reach over one meter in span with their arms fully extended and typically have five arms or a multiple of five, with the number potentially varying due to regeneration after an arm is lost. Their skeleton is made up of adjacent but not fused calcareous plates.

Bat sea star
(Patiria miniata)

Biscuit sea star
(Peltaster placenta)

Necklace sea star
(Fromia monilis)

Noduled sea star
(Fromia nodosa)

Vermillion sea star
(Mediaster aequalis)

Heavy starfish
(Thromidia catalai)

Blue sea star
(Linckia laevigata)

Egyptian sea star
(Gomophia egyptiaca)

Smooth starfish
(Hacelia attenuata)

Chocolate chip sea star
(Nidorellia armata)

Cushion starfish
(Culcita novaeguineae)

Granular sea star
(Choriaster granulatus)

Horned sea star
(Protoreaster nodosus)

Pin cushion sea star
(Culcita schmideliana)

Red cushion sea star
(Oreaster reticulatus)

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Monday, August 11th 2025

The banded sea snake

The coloration of the banded sea snake, also known as the yellow-lipped sea snake, is distinctive with alternating black bands and bluish to grayish areas. The tip of its head, limited to its upper lip, is yellowish.

Thursday, August 7th 2025

The princess parrotfish

The princess parrotfish stands out with a coloration fit for a princess, featuring a dominant bluish hue, with yellow along the central part of its body near the pelvic fins, transitioning into green. Two blue bands run across its head on either side of its eyes.

Monday, August 4th 2025

The batwing coral crab

Discover the batwing coral crab, an iconic species of Caribbean coral reefs, recognizable by its smooth red shell speckled with white and cream.

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Flabelline mauve
(Flabellina affinis)