''Henricia sexradiata'' is a species of

starfish Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish ...

in the family

Echinasteridae The Echinasteridae are a family of starfish in the monotypic order Spinulosida. The family includes eight genera and about 133 species found on the seabed in various habitats around the world. Taxonomy Echinasteridae contains eight genera and ...

. It is native to the western Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico.

Distribution and habitat

''Henricia sexradiata'' is found in the tropical and semi-tropical western Atlantic Ocean. Its range extends from South Carolina to Jamaica, the Gulf of Mexico and Nicaragua. It is found on sandy and shelly bottoms at depths between .

Ecology

''Henricia sexradiata'' can undergo a form of

asexual reproduction Asexual reproduction is a type of reproduction that does not involve the fusion of gametes or change in the number of chromosomes. The offspring that arise by asexual reproduction from either unicellular or multicellular organisms inherit the fu ...

by undergoing fission, with part of the disc and one or more arms breaking off; the missing parts of each section then regenerate to form two new individuals.

References

Echinasteridae Starfish described in 1881 {{asteroidea-stub