Widely distributed species often wreak havok with people who describe species (i.e. taxonomists). Do differences between populations mean many species? Or do they mean one species occurring widely?
Hippasteria phrygiana is a sea star species, member of the Goniasteridae family.
This species grows up to 20 cm in diameter, with short arms and a large body. The upper surface is red and covered with rounded knob-like spines; the lower surface contains many macroscopic bivalved pedicellariae.
This species is incredibly widely distributed: it is present in the 3 main oceanic basins.[1]
It lives mostly in cold and deep waters.[1]
This species feeds mostly on cnidarians, especially deep-sea corals.[2]
Hippasteria phrygiana is a sea star species, member of the Goniasteridae family.
