Comb sea star

Scientific name : Astropecten andersoni

Star with 5 triangular, flattened arms. Grey-brown colour mottled in pink. Comb shaped, elongated spines all around the arms. Diameter 10 cm.
Living on sandy bottoms, in lagoon and bay. Nocturnal, during the day it stays buried in the sand. It is not easy to identify the different Astropecten species. In this site 2 other species are described, Astropecten sp. 1 and Astropecten sp. 2, identified by the size of the lateral spines. Asteropsis has also spines on the back.
Possible confusion also with the genus Luidia, whose species have a higher number of arms.