Tosia australis Click to enlarge image
Biscuit Sea Star, Tosia australis Image: Jiri Lochman/Lochman Transparenc
© Jiri Lochman/Lochman Transparencies

Fast Facts

  • Classification
    Genus
    Tosia
    Species
    australis
    Family
    Goniasteridae
    Order
    Valvatida
    Class
    Asteroidea
    Phylum
    Echinodermata
    Kingdom
    Animalia
  • Size Range
    5 cm

Introduction

This distinctive bright orange-red sea star is called the Biscuit Sea Star because it is about the size of a large biscuit.

Identification

The upper surface of the Biscuit Sea Star is covered with many interlocking small plates and six to eight larger plates along the edge of each of their short arms. It is a distinctive bright orange-red.

Habitat

The Biscuit Sea Star lives on intertidal rocky shores and in coastal waters to a depth of 40 m.

Distribution

The Biscuit Sea Star is found in Sydney, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania.



Feeding and diet

Biscuit Sea Stars feed on sea squirts, sponges, bryzoans and algae.