Blue Linckia

Linckia laevigata

Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Valvatida
Family: Ophidiasteridae
Genus: Linckia
Species: Linckia laevigata

The blue linckia (Linckia laevigata) is a large, bright blue sea star with five long, smooth, finger-like arms. Some individuals are pale blue, purple or even orange, but the vivid blue form is by far the most common.

It can span about 30 cm and creeps slowly over the reef on hundreds of tiny tube feet, feeding on algae and organic film that it digests by pushing its stomach out over the surface. It can regrow lost arms, and a single arm can even grow into a new sea star.

The blue linckia is found across the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, where it is a common sight on shallow reefs and rubble in full sun. Look closely at its arms for the tiny crystalline sea star snail, a parasite that lives on it.