Creature 273: Plectaster decanus

Look, don't touch.

Plectaster decanus is a seastar commonly known as the mosaic seastar.

It is renowned for it bright coloration and distinct tile like patterns. But that coloration is there as a warning. These seastars are poisonous. There is a substantial amount of poison in the mosaic seastars skin and it can cause a human's limb to go numb just by holding it.

Distribution:
The mosaic sea star can be found off the coast of temperate Australia at depths of 5 to 200 m

Classification:
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Spinulosida
Family: Echinasteridae
Genus: Plectaster
Species: Plectaster decanus

Image Links:

http://www.casc.it/photogallerynew.asp?Page=0&P=1&F=1626&S=2187

http://metazoan.net/8-a-quiet-phylum/