''Solaster namakae'' is a species 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 ...

within the family

Solasteridae The Solasteridae are a family of sea stars. Genera The following genera are listed in the World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and compreh ...

. The species occurs off the

Hawaiian Islands The Hawaiian Islands () are an archipelago of eight major volcanic islands, several atolls, and numerous smaller islets in the Pacific Ocean, North Pacific Ocean, extending some from the Hawaii (island), island of Hawaii in the south to nort ...

at depths of 1169 to 1979 meters. The species name ''namakae'' is named after

Nāmaka In Hawaiian mythology, Nāmaka (or Nā-maka-o-Kahai, the eyes of Kahai) appears as a sea goddess in the Pele family. She is an older sister of Pele-honua-mea. She is the daughter of Ku-waha-ilo and Haumea, whose other children are Pele, the ...

, the Hawaiian goddess of the ocean. It has eight arms with a thick dermis, covering the starfishes surface. The color of the body can vary from white to dark orange.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q113153682 Animals described in 2022 namakae Echinoderms of the Pacific Ocean