Parvulastra exigua

{{Short description|Species of starfish}}

{{speciesbox

| image = Parvulastra exigua on a wet rock surface.jpg

| taxon = Parvulastra exigua

| authority = (Lamarck, 1816)

| synonyms = {{species list

| Asterias exigua | Lamarck, 1816

| Asterias minuta | de Blainville, 1834

| Asterina exigua | (Lamarck, 1816)

| Asteriscus krauss | (Gray, 1840)

| Patiriella exigua | (Lamarck, 1816) }}

| synonyms_ref =

| range_map = Parvalustra exigua distribution map.svg

}}

Parvulastra exigua, or the dwarf cushion starJones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. {{ISBN|978-0-620-41639-9}} is a species of sea star in the family Asterinidae. It can be found in temperate intertidal marine communities from geographically widespread sites around the southern hemisphere (including South Africa and Australia).

Description

Parvulastra exigua has pentagonal body with no obvious protruding arms. Dorsal surface is tiled with a small cluster of spines at each tile. Colour is variegated, with bright patterns in orange, brown, green and white.

Distribution

Parvulastra exigua is found from Namibia to Mozambique on intertidal zones up to 3 m, on St Helena, St Paul, and southeastern Australia.

Natural history

Parvulastra exigua occurs in the intertidal zone and slightly deeper, and is well camouflaged. It feeds on microscopic algae by everting stomach onto substrate. No planktonic larval stage is present.

References

{{Commons Category|Parvulastra exigua}}

{{Reflist|refs=

{{cite WoRMS |title=Parvulastra exigua (Lamarck, 1816) |year=2022 |id=459556 |db=Asteroidea |access-date=15 May 2022}}

}}

{{Taxonbar|from=Q2677618}}

Category:Asterinidae

Category:Echinoderms of the Atlantic Ocean

Category:Echinoderms of the Indian Ocean

Category:Echinoderms of the Pacific Ocean

Category:Starfish described in 1816

Category:Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

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