APHOTOMARINE

An educational resource dedicated mainly to the photography
and diversity of marine life that can be found in coastal waters
and intertidal areas of Great Britain and Ireland by David Fenwick.

Scroll down and rollover titles to change screen image or click on title to view image.

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view of group of juveniles on perspex 1

The juvenile specimens above were found in a small sample of coralline turf from Skilly, near Newlyn, Cornwall, 25.06.21.

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view on perspex 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal close-up 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal close-up 2

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- ventral view on perspex 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- ventral view close-up 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- ventral view arm 1

Specimen above found in a large middleshore pool at Battery Rocks, Penzance, Cornwall, 30.07.18.

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view juvenile 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- red dorsal star 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view on perspex 2

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- ventral view on perspex 2

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 2

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 3

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 4

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 5

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 6

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view 7

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view close-up 3

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- dorsal view with scale 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- underside 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- underside with scale 1

Small cushion star
or Green starlet
Asterina phylactica
- with Asterina gibbosa 1

Images of species taken from animals found under stones in middleshore pools at Spit Point, Par, near St. Austell, Cornwall, 16.04.09 and 17.01.10. SX07755248. At Little London Rocks, Marazion, near Penzance, Cornwall, 13.11.11. SW5260330325; and between Gyllyngvase and Swanpool, Falmouth, Cornwall. 06.12.14.

This species is by no means as common as the Cushion star (Asterina gibbosa), which it resembles. Please preserve the habitat of this species by making sure all stones are carefully returned to the same position and same way up as they were found.

The main objective of this website is in furthering environmental awareness and education through the medium of photography. To increase awareness and access to the wildlife of the region and help

people find and identify it. Sometimes the difference between species is obvious but many species can only be determined by observing microscopic characteristics that are specific to any one species.