Common name: Spiny Starfish.
Scientific name: Marthasterias glacialis (Linnaeus, 1758)
Family: Asteriidea
Distribution and Habitat: Its presence in the region is very common. It lives in almost all kinds of bottoms from the intertidal area to approx. 100 m depth, however it is most frequent in the rocky substrates of the intertidal and infralittoral areas.
Description: Species that may reach a total diameter of 60 cm. Its disk is small and its 5 arms are robust. The bodys surface has several spines. Its colouration is uniform, dark green or bluish on the dorsal side and orange on the ventral side.
Conservation statute and Threats: -
Observations: Extremely voracious species that feeds on sea urchins and bivalve molluscs. It is very resistant to polluted waters.
