CreatureData

Common starfish

Asterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758

Status not recordedechinoderms

The common starfish (Asterias rubens) is a species in the family Asteriidae, order Forcipulatida. It has been recorded in 38 countries, most often in United Kingdom, Netherlands and Germany.

Common starfish (Asterias rubens)
Photo: Hans Hillewaert · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Quick facts about the common starfish

Weight
Not recorded
Length
Not recorded
Lifespan
Not recorded
Main food
Not recorded
Habitat
Not recorded
Young per litter or clutch
Not recorded
Conservation status
Not recorded
Recorded in
38 countriessrc for Recorded in

Where does the common starfish live?

Countries with openly licensed sighting records on GBIF. This shows where the species has been recorded, including zoos and introduced populations. It is not a definitive range.

The common starfish has been recorded in 38 countries, from 93,104 records.

Canada: 3,745 recordsUnited States of America: 1,824 recordsIndonesia: 2 recordsDem. Rep. Congo: 5 recordsRussia: 129 recordsNorway: 3,316 recordsGreenland: 2 recordsSouth Africa: 1 recordFrance: 1,677 recordsSenegal: 1 recordMadagascar: 7 recordsThailand: 1 recordVietnam: 9 recordsSweden: 7,359 recordsPoland: 2 recordsGermany: 7,747 recordsGreece: 2 recordsTurkey: 6 recordsBelgium: 551 recordsNetherlands: 14,258 recordsPortugal: 36 recordsSpain: 40 recordsIreland: 4,151 recordsNew Caledonia: 3 recordsItaly: 2 recordsDenmark: 5,524 recordsUnited Kingdom: 41,693 recordsIceland: 53 recordsGeorgia: 39 recordsJapan: 1 recordMorocco: 1 record
  • None on record
  • 1–9
  • 10–99
  • 100–999
  • 1,000+
records per country · small islands are not drawn at this scale

The same figures as a list, most records first

  1. United Kingdom41,693
  2. Netherlands14,258
  3. Germany7,747
  4. Sweden7,359
  5. Denmark5,524
  6. Ireland4,151
  7. Canada3,745
  8. Norway3,316
  9. United States1,824
  10. France1,677
  11. Isle of Man861
  12. Belgium551
  13. Russia129
  14. Iceland53
  15. Spain40
  16. Georgia39
  17. Portugal36
  18. Guernsey26
  19. St. Pierre & Miquelon18
  20. Vietnam9
  21. Madagascar7
  22. Faroe Islands6
  23. Türkiye6
  24. Congo - Kinshasa5
  25. Jersey3
  26. New Caledonia3
  27. Greenland2
  28. Greece2
  29. Indonesia2
  30. Italy2
  31. Poland2
  32. Svalbard & Jan Mayen2
  33. Japan1
  34. Morocco1
  35. Senegal1
  36. Thailand1
  37. Mayotte1
  38. South Africa1

What is the common starfish?

Quoted from WikipediaCC BY-SA 4.0

The common starfish, common sea star or sugar starfish (Asterias rubens) is the most common and familiar starfish in the north-east Atlantic. Belonging to the family Asteriidae, it has five arms and usually grows to between 10–30 cm across, although larger specimens (up to 52 cm across) are known. The common starfish is usually orange or brownish in color, and sometimes violet; specimens found in deeper waters are pale. The common starfish is found on rocky and gravelly substrates where it feeds on mollusks and other benthic invertebrates.

Wikipedia contributors, “Common starfish”, Wikipedia (revision 1379223320), retrieved 2026-11-11. Shared under CC BY-SA 4.0; this block is kept separate from our own text.

Is the common starfish endangered?

No conservation assessment is recorded for this species in our sources. That is not the same as being safe: it has not been matched to an assessment.

How is the common starfish classified?

  1. kingdomAnimalia
  2. phylumEchinodermata
  3. classAsteroidea
  4. orderForcipulatida
  5. familyAsteriidae
  6. genusAsterias
  7. SpeciesAsterias rubens Linnaeus, 1758

Synonyms Asteracanthion distichum, Asteracanthion rubens, Asteracanthion violaceus, Asteracanthium distichum, Asterias attenuata, Asterias clathrata, Asterias distichum, Asterias fabricii, Asterias gigantea, Asterias glacialis, Asterias holsatica, Asterias minuta, Asterias murrayi, Asterias pallida, Asterias spinosa, Asterias stimpsoni, Asterias violacea, Asterias vulgaris, Stellonia rubens, Uraster rubens, Uraster violaceus

Names in other languages (10)
  • Gemeiner SeesternGerman
  • gewone zeesterDutch
  • vanlig sjöstjärnaSwedish
  • نجم البحر الشائعArabic
  • Красный астериасRussian
  • ZeesterDutch
  • Common sea starEnglish
  • Estrella de mar comúnSpanish
  • Étoile de mer communeFrench
  • Estrela-do-mar-comumPortuguese

GBIFWikidataWikipediaNCBI TaxonomyITISEncyclopedia of LifeiNaturalistWoRMS

Common questions

Answered only where our data holds the answer.

Where does the common starfish live?

The common starfish has openly licensed sighting records from 38 countries on GBIF. The most records come from United Kingdom, Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Denmark. These are recorded sightings, not a definitive range.

What kind of animal is the common starfish?

The common starfish (Asterias rubens) belongs to the family Asteriidae in the order Forcipulatida.

Sources and how to cite this page

Data as of 2026-11-11. How this page is put together.

Embed a card for this animal on your own site

Copy this code. The card shows the photo with its credit, key facts and a link back to this page.

Preview the card

APA

CreatureData. (2026). Common starfish (Asterias rubens). Retrieved from https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-starfish

MLA

“Common starfish (Asterias rubens).” CreatureData, 2026, https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-starfish.

BibTeX
@misc{common_starfish_2026,
  title = {Common starfish (Asterias rubens)},
  author = {{CreatureData}},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://creaturedata.com/animals/common-starfish},
  note = {Data as of 2026-11-11}
}