Petricia vernicina – Velvet Star

Petricia vernicina – Velvet Star

Petricia vernicina was first described in 1816 by Jean-Baptiste de Lamarck. Their common name is Velvet Star.

Description

This starfish has five rigid arms. These are a little bit tapered. Each arm is shorter than the disc is wide. The arms meet at an obtuse angle at the disc, forming a star shape.

The colour of Petricia vernicina is somewhat variable. They can be dull brown to grey but also orange or red. The top of this starfish looks a bit spongy.

Biotope

The distribution area of Petricia vernicina is located in the Southwest Pacific Ocean. South of Australia, Norfolk Island and Kermadec Island. They occur at a depth of about 0 to 18 meters.

Author

John de Lange

Copyright photos

John Turnbull – CC BY – NC-SA 2.0

References

Wikipedia
Australian.museum
Inaturalist.org

Last Updated on 4 September 2022 by John