MarLIN Gallery

Starfish, brittlestars, sea urchins & sea cucumbers (Echinodermata) gallery

<i>Asterina gibbosa</i> cushion star. <i>Ophiothrix fragilis</i> brittlestar bed. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i>. <i>Echinus esculentus</i> and hermit crabs on grazed rock.
<i>Echinus esculentus</i> at Strome Narrows, Loch Carron on the west Scottish coast. <i>Crossaster papposus</i>, sunstar . Two individuals on sand. Entire individual on sea bed.
<i>Henricia oculata</i>. Small group of individuals on rocky substratum <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> arms protruding through sand. <i>Antedon petasus</i> featherstar.
<i>Holothuria forskali</i> spawning at the Blackstone, Plymouth. Feeding tentacles of <i>Neopentadactyla mixta</i> protruding from gravel. <i>Antedon bifida</i> feather stars. Common starfish <i>Asterias rubens</i>. A damaged small individual regrowing its arms is in the foreground.
Oral view of <i>Asterias rubens</i> eating a topshell. <i>Asterias rubens</i> feeding on <i>Mytilus edulis</i>. <i>Asterias rubens</i> on scallop shell. <i>Crossaster papposus</i>.
<i>Crossaster papposus</i> next to sponge. <i>Leptometra celtica</i>, deep water crinoid. <i>Luidia ciliaris</i>. Small spiny starfish.
Common starfish. Large seven-armed starfish amongst brittle stars. Cotton spinner. Red starfish off Brittany.
Purple sea urchin. Purple sea urchin and daisy anemone (<i>Cereus peduncatus</i>) in rock pool. The cotton spinner, on Lee Rocks, Lundy. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> on kelp.
<i>Spatangus purpureus</i> half out of course sediment <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> dug up from coarse sediment. <i>Cucumaria frondosa</i> photographed off the Faroe Islands. A number of <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> being dug up.
<i>Asterina gibbosa</i> on over turned boulder. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> echinopluteus larvae, ca 17 days old with visible rudiment. The sea gherkin <i>Pawsonia saxicola</i> at Stoke Point, Plymouth. <i>Ophiocomina nigra</i> at a depth of 15 m.
<i>Crossaster papposus</i>. <i>Labidoplax digitata</i> in sediment. <i>Echinus esculentus</i> at Lundy. <i>Antedon bifida</i>
Aggregation of <i>Ocnus planci</i> on cobbles and pebbles. Female <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> spawning eggs. Male <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> spawning sperm. <i>Ophiopholis aculeata</i>
Bed of the brittlestar <i>Ophiopholis aculeata</i>. <i>Aslia lefevrei</i>. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> grazing kelp. <i>Astropecten irregularis</i>.
The sea gherkin <i>Pawsonia saxicola</i> on rock. <i>Pawsonia saxicola</i> photographed against a seaweed background. <i>Amphipholis squamata</i>. Two <i>Amphipholis squamata</i>.
<i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> with <i>Corella</i> sp. and <i>Botrylloides schlosseri</i> under boulder. <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> in rockpool. <i>Porania pulvillus</i>. <i>Porania pulvillus</i>
<i>Porania pulvillus</i> on the Manacles, Lizard Point, southwest Cornwall.. The arms of <i>Amphiura</i> spp. Deep sea cucumber from west of Scotland. Yellow colour morph of <I>Asterina gibbosa</I>.
<i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> at 2 m depth, Wembury, South Devon. Close up of arms and disc of <i>Amphiura filiformis</i>. <i>Echinus esculentus</i>, the edible sea urchin. <i>Henricia oculata</i>, the Bloody Henry starfish.
<i>Luidia ciliaris</i>, the seven armed stafish. <i>Anseropoda placenta</i> specimens, larger specimen approximately 15 cm long. <i>Leptasterias muelleri</i> specimen. <i>Leptopentacta elongata</i> specimen, approximately 5 cm long.
<i>Ophiopholis aculeata</i> specimen, approximately 10 cm across. <i>Antedon bifida</i> at Firestone Bay in Plymouth Sound. <i>Antedon bifida</i> from a settlement plate on a pontoon. A group of <i>Amphipholis squamata</i> on a rocky shore.
<i>Ophiura ophiura</i> at the Breakwater Fort in Plymouth Sound. <i>Solaster endeca</i> near Lismore Island, western Scotland. <i>Solaster endeca</i> at Loch Creran, west Scotland. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> on the Scylla, Whitsand Bay, Plymouth.
Ripe pinnules of <i>Antedon bifida</i> at Firestone Bay, Plymouth Sound. Ripe pinnules of <i>Antedon bifida</i> at Firestone Bay in Plymouth Sound. <i>Antedon bifida</i> juvenile at Firestone Bay in Plymouth Sound. <i>Echinus esculentus</i> showing tube feet, spines and pedicellaria at the Mewstone in Plymouth.
Close up of <i>Echinus esculentus</i> showing tube feet, spines and pedicellaria at the Mewstone, Plymouth. <i>Asterina gibbosa</i> at Bovisand, Plymouth. <i>Asterias rubens</i> spawning in West Scotland. <i>Henricia oculata</i> on Maerl beds in the Creag Gobhainn area of Loch Fyne at 15m depth.
<i>Henricia oculata</i> at Strome Narrows, Loch Carron in Scotland. <i>Luidia ciliaris</i> on the western side of the Eddystone reef, Plymouth. <i>Leptasterias muelleri</i> brooding its eggs on <i>Modiolus</i> beds at Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland. <i>Leptasterias muelleri</i> brooding its eggs on <i>Modiolus</i> beds at Strangford Lough, County Down, Northern Ireland.
<i>Anseropoda placenta</i> - at Lunga, Firth of Lorne, west Scotland. <i>Anseropoda placenta</i> - slightly burried at Bo na Surraig, Loch Tealasavay, west Scotland. <i>Anseropoda placenta</i> at Sgeir Hal, Loch Seaforth, west Scotland. <i>Anseropoda placenta</i> - Rathlin Island, County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
Collection of <i>Asterias rubens</i> illustrating variation in size. <i>Crossaster papposus</i> at Scapa Flow, Orkneys. <i>Ophiura ophiura</i> at Three Cliffs Bay, Gower. Two <i>Crossaster papposus</i> showing range in size between juvenile and adult.
<i>Echinocyamus pusillus</i>, a tiny sea urchin. Close up of <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i>. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> hatting. A heart urchin <i>Echinocardium pennatifidum</i> on coarse, clean sand.
Juvenile <i>Asterias rubens</i>. Close up of <i>Astropecten irregularis</i> in a laboratory. Medium-sized <i>Crossaster papposus</i> on some wood. <i>Cucumaria frondosa</i> in a laboratory.
<i>Ophiura ophiura</i> in a laboratory. <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> in a laboratory. Dorsal view of <i>Spatangus purpureus</i>. Ventral view of <i>Spatangus purpureus</i>.
Dorsal view of a juvenile ophiuroid brittle star. Purple and white <i>Leptasterias muelleri</i>. Lone black <i>Ophiocomina nigra</i> on a rock. Small orange <i>Luidia ciliaris</i> individual.
<i>Neopentadactyla mixta</i> feeding tentacles. Bright red <i>Echinus esculentus</i> individual. <i>Echinus esculentus</i> larva. Entangled <i>Antedon bifida</i> feathers.
<i>Aslia lefevrei</i> tentacles. <i>Astropecten irregularis</i> on a sandy seabed. <i>Henricia oculata</i> in Doune. Close up view of <i>Luidia ciliaris</i> arms and tube feet.
<i>Ophiothrix fragilis</i> arms waving upwards. <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> crawling under an overhand. <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> covered in dirt. <i>Luidia ciliaris</i> on a sandy seabed.
<i>Asterina gibbosa</i> on a ledge. <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> before burying itself in sand. <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> burying itself in sand. <i>Amphiura filiformis</i> in someone's hand.
A large and a small <i>Astropecten irregularis</i> specimen. Many <i>Asterias rubens</i> individuals grouped together. <i>Asterias rubens</i> on a dark rock. <i>Echinus esculentus</i> in a laboratory.
Mouth region of <i>Echinus esculentus</i>. <i>Marthasterias glacialis</i> on an intertidal rock. The sea potato <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> partially buried in sand. <i>Antedon bifida</i> under the overhang of a boulder.
<i>Antedon bifida</i> under a small boulder. <i>Astropecten irregularis</i> on Aberavon beach. <i>Astropecten irregularis</i> on the shore at Three Cliff Bay. Juvenile <i>Asterias rubens</i> on a rocky shore.
Pair of <i>Asterias rubens</i> on a sandy shore. <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> on a sandy shore. <i>Ophiothrix fragilis</i> on kelp. <i>Ophiothrix fragilis</i> exposed on a rocky shore.
Colourful <i>Psammechinus miliaris</i> specimen. Dark feeding tentacles of <i>Aslia lefevrei</i>. Oral sides of one large and one small brittlestar. <i>Labidoplax digitata</i> partially buried in fine sand sediment.
<i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> with commensal <i>Tellimya ferruginosa</i> exposed at low tide. Series of photos of <i>Echinocardium cordatum</i> emerging from burrow at low tide in Port Eynon, Wales. The oral (underside) of the pea urchin. The aboral (top) side of the pea urchin.
Closeup of the aboral (top) side of the pea urchin. Closeup of the aboral (top) side of a cushion star found in an intertidal rockpool. Closeup of the oral (underside) side of a cushion star found in an intertidal rockpool. The aboral (top) side of a cushion star found in an intertidal rockpool.
Black brittlestar in an aquarium. Black brittlestar in an aquarium.