''Luidia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

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 Family (from la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a

cosmopolitan distribution In biogeography, cosmopolitan distribution is the term for the range of a taxon that extends across all or most of the world in appropriate habitats. Such a taxon, usually a species, is said to exhibit cosmopolitanism or cosmopolitism. The ext ...

Characteristics

Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips fringed with spines. Their upper surfaces are covered with paxillae, pillar-like spines with flattened summits covered with minute spinules. The upper marginal plates are replaced by paxillae, but the lower marginal plates are large and covered with paxillae. The

tube feet Tube feet (technically podia) are small active tubular projections on the oral face of an echinoderm, whether the arms of a starfish, or the undersides of sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers; they are more discreet though present on britt ...

do not have suckers, but have two swollen regions. A mouth, oesophagus, and cardiac stomach are seen, but no pyloric stomach or anus is present. The

gonad A gonad, sex gland, or reproductive gland is a mixed gland that produces the gametes and sex hormones of an organism. Female reproductive cells are egg cells, and male reproductive cells are sperm. The male gonad, the testicle, produces sper ...

s are underneath the sides of each arm. The early

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

l stages of starfish are known as bipinnarial larvae, and members of this genus do not continue their development after this stage into a brachiolar stage before undergoing

metamorphosis Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and differentiation. Some inse ...

. However, they are capable of larval cloning, with

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 ...

taking place while they are larvae. This has been shown to take place both in the field and in laboratory cultures and has been studied by molecular analysis of sequences of mitochondrial

tRNA Transfer RNA (abbreviated tRNA and formerly referred to as sRNA, for soluble RNA) is an adaptor molecule composed of RNA, typically 76 to 90 nucleotides in length (in eukaryotes), that serves as the physical link between the mRNA and the amino ac ...

to identify the taxa involved.Identification of Asteroid Genera With Species Capable of Larval Cloning
Retrieved 2011-08-29.

Species

These species are recognised by the World Register of Marine Species: *'' Luidia alternata'' (Say, 1825) – banded sea star *''

Luidia amurensis ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Doderlein, 1920 *''

Luidia armata ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Ludwig, 1905 *''

Luidia asthenosoma ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Fisher, 1906 *''

Luidia atlantidea ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Madsen, 1950 *''

Luidia australiae ''Luidia australiae'', the southern sand star, is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean around Australia and New Zealand. Description ''Luidia australiae'' has a variable number of long, slim, tapering ...

'' Doderlein, 1920 *''

Luidia avicularia ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Fisher, 1913 *''

Luidia barbadensis ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with pointed tips frin ...

'' Perrier, 1881 *''

Luidia bellonae ''Luidia'' is a genus of starfish in the Family (biology), family Luidiidae in which it is the only genus. Species of the family have a cosmopolitan distribution. Characteristics Members of the genus are characterised by having long arms with ...

'' Lütken, 1865 *'' Luidia changi'' Liu, Liao & Li, 2006 *''

Luidia ciliaris ''Luidia ciliaris'', the seven-armed sea star, is a species of sea star (starfish) in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Description ''L. ciliaris'' is an orangeish-brown colour and has s ...

'' (Philippi, 1837) – seven-armed star *''

Luidia clathrata ''Luidia clathrata'' is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is variously known as the slender-armed starfish, the gray sea star, or the lined sea star. It is found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Description ''Luidia clath ...

'' (Say, 1825) – slender-armed starfish, gray sea star, lined sea star *'' Luidia columbia'' (Gray, 1840) *'' Luidia denudata'' Koehler, 1910 *'' Luidia difficilis'' Liu, Liao & Li, 2006 *'' Luidia ferruginea'' Ludwig, 1905 *''

Luidia foliolata ''Luidia foliolata'', the sand star, is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean on sandy and muddy seabeds at depths to about . Description The sand star has a small disc and five long, flattened a ...

'' (Grube, 1866) – spiny mudstar, leafy flat star, sand star *'' Luidia gymnochora'' Fisher, 1913 *'' Luidia hardwicki'' (Gray, 1840) *'' Luidia herdmani'' A.M. Clark, 1953 *'' Luidia heterozona'' Fisher, 1940 *'' Luidia hexactis'' H.L. Clark, 1938 *'' Luidia inarmata'' Doderlein, 1920 *'' Luidia integra'' Koehler, 1910 *'' Luidia latiradiata'' (Gray, 1871) *'' Luidia lawrencei'' Hopkins & Knott, 2010 *'' Luidia longispina'' Sladen, 1889 *'' Luidia ludwigi'' Fisher, 1906 *'' Luidia maculata'' Müller & Troschel, 1842 *''

Luidia magellanica ''Luidia magellanica'' is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean on the coast of South America. Distribution and habitat ''Luidia magellanica'' occurs subtidally in the southeastern Pacific ...

'' Leipoldt, 1895 *''

Luidia magnifica ''Luidia magnifica'', the magnificent star, is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean. Description The magnificent star usually has 10 long, tapering arms with pointed tips though there are occasionall ...

'' Fisher, 1906 – magnificent star *'' Luidia mauritiensis'' Koehler, 1910 *'' Luidia neozelanica'' Mortensen, 1925 *'' Luidia orientalis'' Fisher, 1913 *'' Luidia patriae'' Bernasconi, 1941 *'' Luidia penangensis'' de Loriol, 1891 *'' Luidia phragma'' H.L. Clark, 1910 *'' Luidia porteri'' A.H. Clark, 1917 *'' Luidia prionota'' Fisher, 1913 *'' Luidia quinaria'' von Martens, 1865 – spiny sand sea star *'' Luidia sagamina'' Doderlein, 1920 *'' Luidia sarsii'' Düben & Koren, 1845 *'' Luidia savignyi'' (Audouin, 1826) *''

Luidia senegalensis ''Luidia senegalensis'', the nine-armed sea star, is a tropical species of starfish in the family Luidiidae found in the western Atlantic Ocean. Description The nine-armed sea star has long, slim tapering arms attached to a small circular cent ...

'' (Lamark, 1816) – nine-armed sea star *'' Luidia sibogae'' Doderlein, 1920 *'' Luidia superba'' A.H. Clark, 1917 – giant sea star *'' Luidia tessellata'' Lutken, 1859 *'' Luidia yesoensis''

Goto GoTo (goto, GOTO, GO TO or other case combinations, depending on the programming language) is a statement found in many computer programming languages. It performs a one-way transfer of control to another line of code; in contrast a function ca ...

, 1914 Gulf Shores, Alabama, 2015 Luidia alternata.jpg, '' Luidia alternata'' Luidia atlantidea (MNHN-IE-2014-622).jpg, ''

'' (

MNHN The French National Museum of Natural History, known in French as the ' (abbreviation MNHN), is the national natural history museum of France and a ' of higher education part of Sorbonne Universities. The main museum, with four galleries, is loca ...

) Luidia australiae.jpg, ''

''. Luidia cilliaris 01 Espen Rekdal.jpg, '' Luidia cilliaris'' Luidia clathrata.jpg, ''

''. Luida columbia, dorsal view.jpg, '' Luida columbia''. Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary 2010 Luidia foliolata.jpg, ''

'' Luidia heterozona.jpg, '' Luidia heterozona''. Luida latiradiata, dorsal view.jpg, '' Luida latiradiata''. Luidia lawrencei (USNM 6923) 001.jpeg, '' Luidia lawrencei''. Luidia ludwigi scotti.jpg, '' Luidia ludwigi''. Eight-armed sand star (Luidia maculata).jpg, '' Luidia maculata''. Luidia magellanica.jpg, ''

'' Luidia_magnifica_mouth.jpg, ''

'' (oral face). MA I317851 TePapa Luidia-neozelanica-Mortensen full.jpg, '' Luidia neozelanica'' Luidia porteri (USNM 36947) 001.jpeg, '' Luidia porteri''. Luidia quinaria.jpg, '' Luidia quinaria'' Luidia sagamina aciculata (11714484256).jpg, '' Luidia sagamina'' Luidia sarsi 01 Espen Rekdal.jpg, ''

Luidia sarsi ''Luidia sarsii'' is a species of starfish. Sand colored with a velvety texture, the species expresses pentamerism or pentaradial symmetry as adults. The five gently tapering arms have conspicuous bands of long white marginal spines in groups o ...

''. Luidia savignyi (Audouin, 1826).jpg, '' Luidia savignyi''. Nine-armed Sea Star (Luidia senegalensis) (4338628827).jpg, ''

'' Luida superba, dorsal view.jpg, '' Luidia superba''.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3200764 Asteroidea genera Taxa named by Edward Forbes