Description
A large, flattened gray starfish that buries down into the sand. Using its highly modified, pointed tube feet, it glides over the bottom with great agility and relative speed, pouncing on sand dollars, brittlestars and small snails. Luidia is among the most primitive of all living starfish. Size: 10-14 cm.
Diet
L.clathrata is both a soft-bottom predator and a scavenger. Their diet consist of organic detritus, small molluscs, crustaceans and brittle stars. They move through their tube feet and eat by extending their stomachs and digesting their prey (Hendler et al., 1995).
Habitat
Protected inshore areas such as bays and lagoons on sand or mud sediments; offshore on sand and shell hash (Hendler et al., 1995).
Biology
L.clathrata usually burrows to avoid light and is capable of living in environments with relatively low salinities. They can detect and follow metabolic chemicals excreted by their prey.
