About Coscinasterias tenuispina (Lamarck, 1816)
Coscinasterias tenuispina has between 6 and 12 arms, most commonly 7, and the arms are often of different lengths. This species grows to 20 cm (8 in) in diameter. It has a creamy, slightly bluish base color marked with irregular brown blotches, and has a rough texture covered in short spines. The distribution of Coscinasterias tenuispina covers the Mediterranean Sea, the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal, the Azores and other Atlantic Islands, Bermuda, Cuba, and the American Atlantic coast between North Carolina and Santos, Brazil. It occurs on the lower shore and can be found at depths down to about 50 m (160 ft). Researchers consider that several genetically divergent populations of this starfish in the Atlantic and Mediterranean should be recognized as separate subspecies. In Mediterranean populations of this starfish, females grow larger than males.
