About Phataria unifascialis (Gray, 1840)
Phataria unifascialis is a species of starfish belonging to the family Ophidiasteridae. It is sometimes called the blue seastar or tan starfish, though both common names are also used for other species; for example, the name blue seastar is also applied to Linckia laevigata. This species is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean, where its range extends from the Gulf of California and Magdalena Bay, Mexico to northwest Peru, and it is found across various eastern Pacific island groups including the Galápagos. It stays fully active at temperatures as low as 17 °C (63 °F), but becomes inactive when temperatures drop to 14 °C (57 °F). Individuals of this species reach a maximum diameter of approximately 30 cm (1 ft). In Panama, specimens of this species have been collected from multiple locations in the Gulf of Panama, eastern Pacific: these include Monte Island (collection catalog number USNM E 11842), the Pearl Islands Archipelago (USNM E 7595), Taboga Island (USNM 39144), Taboguilla Island (USNM E 11832, collected at a depth of 12 m), Culebra Island (USNM E 37379, USNM E 37377, centroid coordinates: 8.9133 latitude, -79.5317 longitude), Venado Island (USNM E 37376, centroid coordinates: 8.8792 latitude, -79.59583 longitude), and Perico Island (USNM E 35150).
