Project Description
Gray Sea Star
Luidia clathrata
Range/Geographical Distribution: Virginia to the Gulf of Mexico and Brazil.
Habitat: Subtidal sandy bottoms.
Description: Slender gray or blue/gray arms with a dark midline down each arm. Tube feet orange/yellow.
Size: Can reach a foot in diameter.
Food: Other echinoderms, worms, crustaceans, bivalves, detritus, and dead animal material.
Breeding: Spawns annually and has one larval stage.
Predators: Fish and crabs.
Conservation Status: No legal status.
Interesting Facts: Gray sea stars can ingest sand and mud along with their food and then strain the inedible material out through oral spines. Some adults have a commensal polychaete worm that lives in a groove on the underside of the arm.
On the Coast: Gray sea stars are common along the Georgia coast but are rarely seen due to their habit of burying in the sand. They do occasionally wash up onto the beach after strong storms.