Spiny sand seastar

Luidia quinaria

Other invertebrates
IUCN: Not evaluated

Usual depth24–85 m
Water temperature6–29 °C
Best monthsMay and July
How commonRare

Photo credit: (c) Self, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA) · CC BY-SA · iNaturalist

About this species

The spiny sand seastar is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in shallow parts of the China Sea and in the vicinity of the Korean archipelago. The tissues of this starfish have been found to contain several secondary metabolites with medicinal potential.

Text from the Wikipedia article “Luidia quinaria”, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Read the article

Where and when

Where it has been recorded

Worldwide

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Best months

Worldwide (open data)

January: 2 records
February: 4 records
March: 5 records
April: 3 records
May: 9 records
June: 7 records
July: 13 records
August: 3 records
September: 3 records
October: 3 records
November: 4 records
December: 3 records

Depth and water temperature

Depth

Mostly recorded at 24–85 m · Deepest record: 790 m

10–20 m: 1 records
20–30 m: 2 records
30–40 m: 0 records
40–50 m: 4 records
50–60 m: 1 records
60–70 m: 0 records
70–80 m: 1 records
80–90 m: 3 records
90–100 m: 0 records
100–110 m: 0 records
110–120 m: 0 records
120+ m: 1 records

Water temperature

Recorded in surface water of 6–29 °C

6–8 °C: 1 records
8–10 °C: 0 records
10–12 °C: 0 records
12–14 °C: 9 records
14–16 °C: 3 records
16–18 °C: 4 records
18–20 °C: 7 records
20–22 °C: 0 records
22–24 °C: 1 records
24–26 °C: 4 records
26–28 °C: 3 records
28–30 °C: 8 records

Photos

Names and classification

English: Spiny sand seastar

Names in 3 more languages

Japanese: スナヒトデ
Korean: 검은띠불가사리
Simplified Chinese: 砂海星

Other scientific names: Luidia limbata, Luidia singaporensis

Similar species

Sources and credits

Names and taxonomy: WoRMS (CC BY 4.0) and the GBIF Backbone (CC BY 4.0). Photos: iNaturalist observers, each under the licence shown (CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA).

Depth, temperature, months and maps: records from OBIS and GBIF under CC0 or CC BY.
Descriptions: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA, each linked to its article.
Conservation status as published by GBIF (IUCN Red List).
46 open-data records from 1889 to 2013.
Species data updated November 4, 2026.

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