About Fromia nodosa A.M.Clark, 1967
Commonly called the elegant sea star, Fromia nodosa A.M.Clark, 1967 has five triangular arms that radiate around a clearly visible central disc. Its body color ranges from reddish, sometimes bluish, to orange. It is more or less densely covered with large, raised, creamy, rounded plates that are slightly angular at the top; these plates decrease in size toward the ends of the arms. The plates typically leave an open pentagonal area on the central disc, but they may sometimes cover the disc completely. Fully grown adults reach a maximum diameter of 10 cm. This species can sometimes be very hard to distinguish from closely related species including Fromia monilis and Fromia heffernani. Fromia monilis has no raised plates, while Fromia heffernani has more rounded plates that line the outer edges of the arms; the two species also differ from Fromia nodosa in geographic distribution. The elegant sea star occurs in tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, ranging from Seychelles to the Maldives, where it is relatively common. It can be found from the surface down to 35 meters depth.
