About Astrophyton muricatum (Lamarck, 1816)
The giant basket star, with the scientific name Astrophyton muricatum (Lamarck, 1816), is a very large echinoderm. When its arms are fully extended, it can reach a diameter of nearly one metre. It has a central disc and eight slender, flexible arms that repeatedly divide to form a fine-meshed, net-like structure. Its body is typically brown or black in colour. This basket star occurs in warmer regions of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea, and the Gulf of Mexico. Its range stretches from Cape Lookout in North Carolina to the coast of Brazil at approximately 20°S. It can be found at depths of up to around 30 m (98 ft). While it most often lives on coral reefs, it can also be found on the tops of boulders and in seagrass meadows.
