Galapagos Species Database

The Galapagos Species Database shares the information about the species from our Natural History Collections.

Phataria unifascialis (Gray, 1840)

estrella de mar, estrella azul, Blue sea star

Depth: low tide to 50 m

Taxonomy

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

Status

IUCN Red List Category: Not evaluated

Distribution

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)

References

  • 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.