Marine life  /  Sea stars
18 of 1316 species
Group

Sea stars

Sea stars, from the cushion star to the crown-of-thorns. Most of them are in plain sight on any dive, and much of their interest is in what lives on them rather than in the animal itself.

Species
18
Depth
0–35 m
Rarity range
1 star of 5, found on most divesto 3 stars of 5, a good week should turn one up
Night only
3
Can hurt a diver
1
Destinations
13

Several are habitats. The cushion star and the horned sea star carry commensal shrimps underneath, and turning a sea star over to look is the reason a number of the shrimp entries in this index exist. The sand-sifting sea star spends most of its time buried and is found by the trace it leaves.

The crown-of-thorns is the exception in every way. It is venomous, it eats coral, and its population outbreaks are the reason it gets counted rather than admired. The spines go through a glove.

18 species

Photographed first, then commonest

18 written up, none photographed yet

Every one has a page. They are shown as a list rather than as pictures because nothing has been photographed or logged for them yet, and a species with nothing behind it should not sit in front of one that has.

Where they are recorded

How many of the 18 carry a record at each destination. A species usually carries several, so these do not add up to 18.

Lembeh Strait 11 Anilao 8 Dauin & Dumaguete 8 Bali 8 Papua New Guinea 5 Ambon 4 Islas Revillagigedo 3 Australia 3 Galapagos Islands 2 Cocos Island 1 Florida 1 Bahamas 1 Cayman Islands 1

The other groups

Anemonefish 11 Angelfish 25 Batfish 3 Blennies 26 Butterflyfish 35 Cardinalfish 13 Damselfish 32 Dottybacks 5 Dragonets 5 Eels & garden eels 18 Flatfish 8 Frogfish & anglers 26 Goatfish 8 Gobies & dartfish 29 Groupers & anthias 42 Hawkfish 5 Jacks & open-water fish 29 Jawfish 4 Lizardfish & flatheads 10 Morays 26 Morwongs & trumpeters 4 Parrotfish 16 Pufferfish & boxfish 23 Rabbitfish 5 Scorpionfish & lionfish 47 Seahorses & pipefish 53 Shrimpgobies 17 Snappers, breams & sweetlips 39 Squirrelfish & soldierfish 9 Surgeonfish & unicornfish 26 Triggerfish & filefish 25 Trumpetfish & cornetfish 4 Wrasses 56 Other fish 46 Sharks & rays 63 Turtles, sea snakes & crocodiles 11 Marine mammals & birds 10 Cephalopods 36 Nudibranchs & sea slugs 137 Sea snails & shells 26 Shrimps 38 Mantis shrimps 5 Crabs 45 Hermit crabs 10 Lobsters & squat lobsters 13 Isopods & parasitic crustaceans 5 Amphipods 2 Brittle stars & basket stars 7 Feather stars 2 Sea urchins 23 Sea cucumbers 12 Worms 11 Flatworms 3 Jellyfish & stinging drifters 10 Anemones & zoanthids 12 Corals & sponges 29 Sea squirts 4 Blackwater & plankton 52 Other invertebrates 2

All 1316 species in one index, with filters for destination, rarity and hazard.

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