Description: A starfish with many arms, usually 13 but occasionally from 8-14. Colour is variable from dirty brown through dirty purple to a beautiful red form with concentric rings of white. The texture is very spiny with large groups of bristly spines over the dorsal surface. Typically 25cm up to 35cm diameter.

Habitat: Found in sheltered sites with moderate tidal streams and semi-exposed rocky or bouldery sites. Frequent in brittle-star beds.

Distribution: Common and widespread all round the British Isles but rare on the south coast.

Similar Species: The only other sunstar to be found in shallow water is Solaster endeca.

Key Identification Features:

• 13 arms (8-14).
• Clusters of sharp spines all over body.

Distribution Map from NBN: Crossaster papposus at National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

iNaturalist: Crossaster papposus at iNaturalist World Species Observations database.

WoRMS: Crossaster papposus at World Register of Marine Species. Accepted name: Crossaster papposus (Linnaeus, 1767). AphiaID: 124154.

Classification: Biota; Animalia; Echinodermata; Asterozoa; Asteroidea; Ambuloasteroidea; Neoasteroidea; Valvatacea; Valvatida; Solasteridae; Crossaster