---
title: "Indo-Pacific Comb Star"
description: "Astropecten polyacanthus — Altri animali. Astropecten polyacanthus, the sand sifting starfish or comb sea star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/it/animal/indo-pacific-comb-star
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Indo-Pacific Comb Star

> Astropecten polyacanthus — Altri animali. Astropecten polyacanthus, the sand sifting starfish or comb sea star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae.

- Scientific name: *Astropecten polyacanthus*
- Category: `other` (Altri animali)
- Habitats: `sea` (Mare e costa)
- iNaturalist observations: 961
- Wikidata: [Q2383575](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2383575)
- iNaturalist taxon: [195876](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/195876)

## Names

- en: Indo-Pacific Comb Star
- es: Estrella de mar arenera
- fr: Étoile piquante

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (356), AU (129), HK (41), AE (25), ID (25), JP (25), PH (23), NC (22), EG (17), CN (8), SA (6), NF (5)

## Summary

Astropecten polyacanthus, the sand sifting starfish or comb sea star, is a sea star of the family Astropectinidae. It is the most widespread species in the genus Astropecten, found throughout the Indo-Pacific region. The armspread is up to 20 cm (8 in). The specific epithet "polyacanthus" comes from the Latin meaning "many thorned".

Text: Wikipedia (en), CC BY-SA 4.0 — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astropecten_polyacanthus

## Photo

![Indo-Pacific Comb Star](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/indo-pacific-comb-star/medium.jpg)

Photo: Jean-Paul Boerekamps · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/90691568

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/indo-pacific-comb-star?lang=it` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).