Order

Common name: Starfish

Scientific name: Valvatida

Valvatida is an order of starfish found in a variety of marine environments. They are known for their diversity in size, shape, and color, with species ranging from the iconic five-armed sea stars to those with multiple arms. Valvatida includes both reef-safe species, like the Fromia monilis, and those that are not suitable for reef tanks due to their predatory nature on corals and other invertebrates. Hobbyists should research individual species for compatibility. These echinoderms are fascinating for their ability to regenerate lost limbs and their role in marine ecosystems as both predators and prey.

  1. Crown of Thorns Starfish (Purple Variant)
    Common name: Crown-of-Thorns Starfish
    Scientific name: Acanthaster planci
  2. Common name: Burton's Starfish
    Scientific name: Aquilonastra burtoni
  3. Sand Sifting Sea Star - (Astropecten polycanthus)
    Common name: Sand Sifting Starfish
    Scientific name: Archaster angulatus
  4. sand sifting starfish (archaster typicus) moving through the glass of a reef aquarium
    Common name: Indo-Pacific Beach Star
    Scientific name: Archaster typicus
  5. Common name: sheriff-badge sea star
    Scientific name: Asteropsis carinifera
  6. Sea star in the coral reef, Bali sea, Indonesia
    Common name: Red Brittle Star
    Scientific name: Chaetaster longipes
  7. Granulated Sea Star (Choriaster granulatus)
    Common name: Granulated Sea Star
    Scientific name: Choriaster granulatus
  8. Pin Cushion Star (Culcita novaeguineae)
    Common name: Pin Cushion Star
    Scientific name: Culcita novaeguineae
  9. Cushion Star or Spiny cushion star (Culcita schmideliana), Indian Ocean, Maldives, Asia
    Common name: cushion star
    Scientific name: Culcita schmideliana
  10. Harlequin Shrimp, Hymenocera picta, with sea star food, Fromia monilis
    Common name: Orange spotted purple sea star
    Scientific name: Fromia elegans
  11. Ghardaqa red sea star - (fromia ghardaqana), underwater photo into the Red Sea
    Common name: Ghardaqa Sea Star
    Scientific name: Fromia ghardaqana
  12. Indian Sea Star (Fromia indica) on stony coral
    Common name: Indian Sea Star
    Scientific name: Fromia indica
  13. Detail of a small Thousand-pores starfish, Fromia milleporella, as it crawls on a reef in Indonesia.
    Common name: Red Starfish
    Scientific name: Fromia milleporella
  14. A Pearl Sea Star (Fromia monilis) in the Red Sea, Egypt
    Common name: Red Tile Starfish
    Scientific name: Fromia monilis
  15. Noduled sea star (Fromia nodosa) underwater on the bottom of the sea
    Common name: Red Sea Star
    Scientific name: Fromia nodosa
  16. Huge red starfish underwater in the blue clear sea. concept of holiday, vocation and relaxing
    Common name: Red Starfish
    Scientific name: Fromia polypora
  17. Egyptian sea star
    Common name: Egyptian sea star
    Scientific name: Gomophia egyptiaca
  18. Starfish
    Common name: Egg Cowrie
    Scientific name: Gomophia watsoni
  19. Hacelia Orange seastar, underwater photo into the Mediterranean sea - (Hacelia attenuata)
    Common name: smooth starfish
    Scientific name: Hacelia attenuata
  20. Arctic Cushion Star (Hippasteria phrygiana), Weather Islands, Skagerrak Sea, Sweden
    Common name: Arctic Cushion Star
    Scientific name: Hippasteria phrygiana
  21. A Double Sea Star (Iconaster longimanus)
    Common name: icon star
    Scientific name: Iconaster longimanus
  22. Common name: Leather Star
    Scientific name: Leiaster coriaceus
  23. Common name: velvety sea star
    Scientific name: Leiaster speciosus
  24. yellow star linckia guildingi
    Common name: Blue Linckia Starfish
    Scientific name: Linckia guildingi
  25. Blue Linckia (Linckia laevigata)
    Common name: Blue Linckia
    Scientific name: Linckia laevigata
  26. Spotted Linckia Linckia multifora
    Common name: Blue Linckia Starfish
    Scientific name: Linckia multifora
  27. Common name: Bradley's Sea Star
    Scientific name: Mithrodia bradleyi
  28. Common name: nail sea star
    Scientific name: Mithrodia clavigera
  29. Friant's Sea Star Nardoa frianti
    Common name: Nardoa frianti
    Scientific name: Nardoa frianti
  30. Galathea Seestern
    Common name: Galathea Sea Star
    Scientific name: Nardoa galathea
  31. Brown Mesh Sea Star (Nardoa galatheae)
    Common name: Brown Mesh Sea Star
    Scientific name: Nardoa galatheae
  32. Detail of the top of a Yellow mesh sea star, Nardoa novaecaledoniae, on a coral reef in Indonesia.
    Common name: Nardoa Starfish
    Scientific name: Nardoa novaecaledoniae
  33. Common name: Rose Sea Star
    Scientific name: Nardoa rosea
  34. Common name: Nardoa Tuberculata
    Scientific name: Nardoa tuberculata
  35. Blue sea star on coral. The Island Of Mindoro. Philippines.
    Common name: Blue Sea Star
    Scientific name: Neoferdina cumingi
  36. Chocolate chip sea star
    Common name: Chocolate Chip Sea Star
    Scientific name: Neoferdina glyptodisca
  37. Underwater photography. Red knobbed sea star and sea urchins. Zanzibar, Tanzania.
    Common name: Red Knob Sea Star
    Scientific name: Neoferdina insolita
  38. Red Mediterranean Seastar – Ophidiaster ophidianus
    Common name: purple seastar
    Scientific name: Ophidiaster ophidianus
  39. sunset over the Atlantic Ocean in Florida
    Common name: red cushion sea star
    Scientific name: Oreaster reticulatus
  40. sohal surgeonfish Acanthurus sohal sohal tang  Red Sea endemic striking blue and white horizontal stripes have made it what many consider the 'poster fish' for the Red Sea reef environment
    Common name: Sohal Tang
    Scientific name: Paraferdina sohariae
  41. Bat Star (Patiria miniata)
    Common name: Bat Star
    Scientific name: Patiria miniata
  42. Beaded Starfish (Pentaceraster mammillatus), Kiwengwa, Zanzibar, Tanzania.
    Common name: Knobby Sea Star
    Scientific name: Pentaceraster mammillatus
  43. Vermillion Star (Mediaster aequalis)
A vibrant Vermillion Star (Mediaster aequalis) photographed while scuba diving in the cold Pacific Ocean in southern British Columbia
    Common name: vermillion seastar
    Scientific name: Pentagonaster duebeni
  44. Close-up detail of the underside of a Pin Cushion Starfish (Culcita novaeguineae) showing small teeth-like spines and nodules; Maui, Hawaii, United States of America
    Common name: red cushion stat
    Scientific name: Porania pulvillus
  45. Red-knobbed Starfish (Protoreaster lincki)
    Common name: Red-knobbed Starfish
    Scientific name: Protoreaster lincki
  46. A Chocolate Chip Sea Star (Protoreaster nodosus) sea star Boracay Island Philippines
    Common name: Chocolate Chip Sea Star
    Scientific name: Protoreaster nodosus
  47. Chocolate chip sea star
    Common name: Chocolate Chip Sea Star
    Scientific name: Tamaria stria
  48. Catalas Seestern (Thromidia catalai)
    Common name: Giant Sea Star
    Scientific name: Thromidia catalai
  49. Mottled sea star
    Common name: Mottled Sea Star
    Scientific name: Tosia australis