Details
Linckia laevigata
The blue sea star is a vivid reef sea star with thick blue arms. It moves slowly across coral and rock, grazing and scavenging along the surface.
Map: Ecoregions 2017 © RESOLVE (CC BY 4.0) · Natural Earth (PD)
It inhabits coral reefs, reef flats, and rocky coasts of the Indian and Pacific oceans. It ranges from bright shallows to reef slopes.
Diameter 20-40 cm; weight 100-500 g. Five thick cylindrical arms are usually blue to blue-green, with a finely granular surface. The species is well known for regenerating damaged arms.
Nocturnal and solitary, it often rests in reef hollows by day. At night its tube feet carry it slowly over rock and coral.
An omnivore, it takes fine organic matter, algae, small bottom animals, and carrion. Feeding often involves grazing films from hard surfaces.
Adults broadcast eggs and sperm into the water, and larvae drift in the plankton. Body fragments may also regenerate into new growth under some conditions.
It is listed as Least Concern. It is popular in reef aquaria, and local impacts depend on reef condition and collection pressure.
