Anasterias antarctica, (Lütken, 1857)
Anasterias antarctica, commonly called the Cinderella starfish, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in coastal waters in the Southern Ocean and around Antarctica.
Anasterias antarctica is found in the Southern Ocean and the waters around Antarctica. It is native to Argentina, the Falkland Islands and southern Chile, and several islands in the Southern Ocean. Its depth range is from the intertidal zone down to about 190 m (600 ft), its typical habitat being on rocks, boulders and pebbles and in forests of giant kelp.
Anasterias antarctica is a predator and scavenger. Its diet includes isopods (Sphaeromatidae), gastropod molluscs including Pareuthria spp., bivalve molluscs, chitons and barnacles. Larger starfish take larger prey. It is the dominant predator in the tidal and shallow subtidal zones of the Falkland Islands.
A study of the community in the Beagle Channel associated with the giant kelp Macrocystis pyrifera showed A. antarctica as being at the top trophic level, feeding on the herbivores grazing on the seaweed, on the filter feeders, on the other predators in the community and on the detritivores.
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