Classification of a Pink Starfish

The pink starfish is a community dweller living in reefs in the Indo-Pacific Ocean. The family classification of the pink starfish is Ophidiasteridae. Its scientific name is Fromia monilis. It is an omnivore and its environment tis ocean water. The pink starfish spends most of its life in hiding from predators. It is extremely sensitive to temperature changes in ocean water. Hiding among coral reefs allows the pink starfish to meld into its environment. The diet of this starfish includes clams and sand dollars.

  1. Pink Star Features

    • Pink starfish live in the Indo-Pacific ocean.

      The pink starfish is amn unusual sea creature. It has no front or back, and it moves by way of hundreds of tiny legs. The legs of the starfish operate on a hydraulic system that allows the sea creature to cling to rocks or the reef with incredible strength. The hydraulic system the pink starfish uses is a complex system involving an intake valve on the top of the starfish. Water is a means of creating suction controlled by the intake valve to maintain pressure. The size of the pink starfish does not exceed 13 inches.

    Classification

    • The kingdom of the pink starfish is Animalia and its class is Asteroidea. The Phylum classification of this sea creature is Echinodermata and its Subphylum is Asterozoa. Scientists place animals into classifications in order to study them. Scientists categorize an animal like the pink starfish into descriptive groups beginning with family of animals then into species.

    Binomial Nomenclature

    • The Binomial Nomenclature is a scientific system of naming animals. The scientific name of the Pink Starfish is Pisaster brevispinus. It comes from the genus and species classification of the Pink Starfish. Binomial Nomenclature is how scientists work within the vastness of the animal world. Classification in the animal taxonomy begins with the animal's kingdom, then phylum, class, order, family, genus and species. The order and suborder of the Pink Starfish is Forcipulatida (order) and Asteriadina (suborder). This classification places the Pink Starfish in a specific class before listing it into a family.

    Phylum Echinodermata

    • Echinodermata is a classification of stars, urchins, sand dollars, sea lilies and sea cucumbers. This is a morphological group disimilar in form, but similar in related characteristics. They are all ancient invertebrates and they are the best known of that group. Their similar characteristics include their shapes and vibrant colors. They are also an advanced phyla on the evolutionary scale. Echinoderms have calcareous skeletons and date back as a fossil species 20,000 years. The first echinoderm evolved around 600 million years ago. The radial symmetry of the echinoderm is a characteristic acquired as the species evolved.