• Norwegian: sypute

Characteristics:

This is a truly beautiful sea star that comes in different shades of red. The large central disk is convex. It has five short, fleshy arms. The diameter rarely exceeds 12 cm. The skin is smooth, but covered by a large number of small gills used for respiration.

The madreporite is a perforated plate on the upper surface where the starfish sucks water into the vascular system. Water is pumped around in its body as a hydraulic fluid, enabling it to move its legs.

Habitat:

It can be found on variety of substrates from 10 to 250 meters depth. It is known to feed on the dead man's fingers.

Distribution:

This is known in the North Atlantic Ocean. In Europe it may be found as far south as the Bay of Biscay, but is more frequent further north.