''Parvulastra'' is a genus of
starfish
Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...
belonging to the family
Asterinidae
The Asterinidae are a large family of sea stars in the order Valvatida.
Description and characteristics
These are generally small sea stars, flattened dorsally and bearing very short arms, often giving a pentagonal shape in the body ;example: ...
.
Asterinidae
The Asterinidae are a large family of sea stars in the order Valvatida.
Description and characteristics
These are generally small sea stars, flattened dorsally and bearing very short arms, often giving a pentagonal shape in the body ;example: ...
: ''Parvulastra parvivipara
''Parvulastra'' is a genus of starfish belonging to the family Asterinidae. The species of this genus are found in Southern Hemisphere.
The genus shows an unusual reproductive mode within Asterinidae: '' Parvulastra parvivipara'' and '' Parvula ...
'' and ''Parvulastra vivipara
''Parvulastra vivipara'', the Tasmanian live-bearing seastar, is a tiny, uniformly orange-yellow seastar, up to across. The species usually has five short arms and is a rounded, pentagon shape. Morphological variation is common and three, four o ...
'' are viviparous
In animals, viviparity is development of the embryo inside the body of the mother, with the maternal circulation providing for the metabolic needs of the embryo's development, until the mother gives birth to a fully or partially developed juve ...
. Prior to their description as distinct species, they were considered variants of ''Parvulastra exigua
''Parvulastra exigua'', or the dwarf cushion starJones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008. is a species of sea star in the family Asterinidae. It can be found in temperate intertidal m ...
'', which has free-living (but non-feeding) larvae.
Species
There are five species:Parvulastra exigua
''Parvulastra exigua'', or the dwarf cushion starJones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008. is a species of sea star in the family Asterinidae. It can be found in temperate intertidal m ...
''
*''Parvulastra parvivipara
''Parvulastra'' is a genus of starfish belonging to the family Asterinidae. The species of this genus are found in Southern Hemisphere.
The genus shows an unusual reproductive mode within Asterinidae: '' Parvulastra parvivipara'' and '' Parvula ...
''
*''Parvulastra vivipara
''Parvulastra vivipara'', the Tasmanian live-bearing seastar, is a tiny, uniformly orange-yellow seastar, up to across. The species usually has five short arms and is a rounded, pentagon shape. Morphological variation is common and three, four o ...
''
References
Asterinidae
Asteroidea genera
{{asteroidea-stub