Crossaster papposus is a starfish of up to 35 cm in diameter. Its body has the shape
of a broad disc surrounded by a variable number of tapered arms, between 8 to 16 but more frequently
from 10 to 12. The upper surface is covered by short visible spines. The disc is orange, red or brown
with some scattered white spots. The bases of the arms are often white-spotted and broad white bands
may cross the arms. It lives on rocks or sandy bottoms and feeds on other Echinoderms such as Asterias rubens.
It is found from 1 m to depths up to 1200 m, in the Atlantic Ocean from Greenland down to the coasts of Brittany,
in the English Channel, the North Sea and in the Western-Baltic Sea.
(source : European Register of Marine Species)
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Top photograph :
© Maurice Loir. Published with author's kind permission :
Crossaster papposus,
Cap Lévy, Normandy, North-West of France. Depth 14 meters.
Text : Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2006-2010.
Translation : Anne Bay-Nouailhat © 2007-2010.
