- Kingdom: Animalia
- Phylum: Echinodermata
- Subphylum: Asterozoa
- Class: Asteroidea
- Order: Forcipulatida
- Family: Asteriidae
- Scientific name: Asterias rubens
- Norwegian: vanlig korstroll
Characteristics:
The five armed common starfish may reach a diameter of 52 cm. This is one of the largest and most frequently encountered sea stars along the Norwegian coast. The color is usually orange, often with a purple tint. Different shades of brown is often seen as well. On the arms, most of the white spines are organized in 5-7 lines in the full arm length.
Habitat:
The common starfish are found in almost any habitat, on all depths down to 200 meters.
Distribution:
This is a cosmopolitan, found in most of the seas of the world.