# Common sunstar

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The **common sunstar** (***Crossaster papposus***) is a species of [sea star](/source/Sea_star) (aka starfish) belonging to the family [Solasteridae](/source/Solasteridae).[1] It is found in the northern parts of both the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans.

## Distribution

The common sunstar is distributed from the [Arctic](/source/Arctic) down to the [English Channel](/source/English_Channel), in the [North Sea](/source/North_Sea), also on both East (from the [Arctic](/source/Arctic) to the [Gulf of Maine](/source/Gulf_of_Maine)) and Pacific coasts (from [Alaska](/source/Alaska) to [Puget Sound](/source/Puget_Sound)) of [North America](/source/North_America). It is also [circumboreal](/source/Circumboreal), found in [Greenland](/source/Greenland), [Iceland](/source/Iceland), the [Barents Sea](/source/Barents_Sea), [Kola Bay](/source/Kola_Bay), [Okhotsk Sea](/source/Okhotsk_Sea) and the [White Sea](/source/White_Sea).

## Habitat

The common sunstar is commonly found on rocky bottoms, coarse sand and gravel in the bathyal, infralittoral and circalittoral zone (from low-tide line up to depths of 300 m). It seems to prefer areas of high water movement. Very small sunstars are sometimes found in [rock pools](/source/Rock_pool).[2]

## Description

It is reddish on top with concentric bands of white, pink, yellow, or dark red, and it is white on the underside. It is covered on top with brushlike spines, with the marginal spines somewhat larger. The thick, central disc is fairly large. This central disc has a netlike pattern of raised ridges. The mouth area is bare. It has relatively short arms which usually number eight to fourteen. Its radius can be up to 15 cm (6 inches). The [madreporite](/source/Madreporite) plate stands out clearly.

## Food

The common sunstar is an [omnivore](/source/Omnivore). It will eat almost anything, including smaller starfish and sunstars, swallowing them whole. It is also a [scavenger](/source/Scavenger).

## References

1. ["Macrobenthos of the North Sea"](https://web.archive.org/web/20110608002911/http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/echinodermata.php?menuentry=soorten&id=51). Archived from [the original](http://nlbif.eti.uva.nl/bis/echinodermata.php?menuentry=soorten&id=51) on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2008-08-04.

1. [Ocean Eye](https://www.oceaneyephoto.com/photo_866558.html)

- [World Register of Marine Species](/source/World_Register_of_Marine_Species) : Mah, C.; Hansson, H. (2009). *Crossaster papposus* (Linnaeus, 1776). In: Mah, C.L. (2009). World Asteroidea database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at [on 2010-06-12](http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124154)
- Hansson, H.G. (2001). Echinodermata, in: Costello, M.J. et al. (Ed.) (2001). European register of marine species: a check-list of the marine species in Europe and a bibliography of guides to their identification. Collection Patrimoines Naturels, 50: pp. 336–351
- Clark, A.M. and M.E. Downey. (1992). Starfishes of the Atlantic. Chapman & Hall Identification Guides, 3. Chapman & Hall: London, UK. ISBN 0-412-43280-3

## External links

- [Catalog of Life entry](http://www.catalogueoflife.org/show_species_details.php?record_id=685786)[dead link]
- [National Center for Biotechnology Information search](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/search/all/?term=Crossaster%20papposus)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Common sunstar](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunstar) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Common_sunstar?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.