A large pale pinkish starfish with 5 arms reaching a size of up to 15cm. It has a fairly smooth upper surface with short stout spines poking out from its lower surface. It has fat pointed tube feet. It lies buried just under the surface of the sediment leaving a star shaped mark when its hiding spot is exposed. It is a predator and mainly feeds on bivalves such as Donax which it eats whole. Breeding takes place in the summer and the sexes are separate.
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