Galapagos Species Database
The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.
Phataria unifascialis
estrella de mar, estrella azul, Blue sea star
Depth: low tide to 50 m
Domain
Eukaryota
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Echinodermata
Class
Asteroidea
Order
Valvatida
Family
Ophidiasteridae
Genus
Phataria
Species
unifascialis
Taxon category: Accepted
Syn.: Linckia (Phataria) bifascialis Gray, 1840, Linckia (Phataria) unifascialis Gray, 1840, Linckia bifascialis Gray, 1840, Linckia unifascialis Gray, 1840, Ophidiaster suturalis Müller & Troschel, 1842, Phataria bifascialis (Gray, 1840) (Horton et al., 2021)
Origin: Native
Map of specimen collection localities or observation records for this species in our collections database.
Distribution: California, Gulf of California, Perú and Ecuador (Galapagos Islands)
- Appeltans, W. Bouchet, P., Boxshall, G.A., Fauchald, K., Gordon, D.P., Hoeksema, B.W., Poore, G.C.B., van Soest, R.W.M., Stöhr, S., Walter, T.C., Costello, M.J. (eds.) (2010) World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS). Available online at http://www.marinespecies.org.
- Banks, N. (1901) Papers from the Hopkins Stanford Galapagos Expedition, 1898-1899. V. Entomological Results 5: Thysanura and Termitidae. Proc. Washington Acad. Sci. 3: 541-546.
- Banks, S. Vera, M. & Chiriboga, A. (2009) Establishing Reference Points to Assess Long-Term Change in Zooxanthellate Coral Communities of the Northern Galapagos Coral Reefs. J. Sci. Conserv. in the Galapagos Islands, p. 43-64.
- Constant, P. (2007) Marine Life of the Galapagos. The Diver's guide to Fishes, Whales, Dolphins and marine Invertebrates, 307 pp.
- Edgar, G.J. Fariña, J.M., Calvopiña, M., Martínez, C. & Banks, S. (2002) Comunidades submareales rocosas II: Peces y macroinvertebrados móviles. In: Danulat, E. & Edgar, G.J. (eds.) (2002): Reserva Marina de Galápagos. Línea Base de la Biodiversidad. Fundación Charles Darwin/Servicio Parque Nacional Galápagos, Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Ecuador, p. 68-97.
- Hickman, C.P. Jr. (1998) A Field Guide to Sea Stars and other Echinoderms of Galápagos. Sugar Spring Press, Lexington, Virginia, 83 pp.
- Horton, T. Horton, T., Kroh, A., Ahyong, S., Bailly, N., Boyko, C. B., Brandão, S. N., Gofas, S., Hooper, J. N. A., Hernandez, F., Holovachov, O., Mees, J., Molodtsova, T. N., Paulay, G., Decock, W., Dekeyzer, S., Poffyn, G., Vandepitte, L., Vanhoorne, B., Adlard, R., ... Zhao, Z. (2021) World Register of Marine Species. Available from https://www.marinespecies.org at VLIZ.
- Maluf, L.Y. (1991) Echinoderm Fauna of the Galápagos Islands. In: James, M.J. (ed.): Galápagos Marine Invertebrates. Taxonomy, Biogeography, and Evolution in Darwin's Islands. Plenum Press, New York and London, p. 345-367.
- Sonnenholzner, J. Brand, M., Francisco, V., Hearn, A., Luzuriaga, M., Guarderas, P & Navarro, J. (2013) Echinoderms of Ecuador. In: Alvarado, J & Solís-Marín, A. (eds.) (2013) Echinoderm research and Diversity in Latin America. 183-233 pp.
You are welcome to download and use the information found in this page, acknowledging its source.
This page should be cited as follows:
"Galapagos Species Database, Phataria unifascialis", dataZone. Charles Darwin Foundation, https://datazone.darwinfoundation.org/en/checklist/?species=7976. Accessed 21 April 2026.