---
title: "Reef Sea Star"
description: "Stichaster australis — Inne zwierzęta. Stichaster australis, the reef starfish, is a species of starfish found in the shallow waters of the rocky intertidal of New Zealand."
canonical: https://animalchecklist.com/pl/animal/reef-sea-star
last_updated: 2026-09-20
---

# Reef Sea Star

> Stichaster australis — Inne zwierzęta. Stichaster australis, the reef starfish, is a species of starfish found in the shallow waters of the rocky intertidal of New Zealand.

- Scientific name: *Stichaster australis*
- Category: `other` (Inne zwierzęta)
- Habitats: `sea` (Morze i wybrzeże)
- iNaturalist observations: 787
- Wikidata: [Q2669524](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2669524)
- iNaturalist taxon: [355868](https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/355868)

## Names

- en: Reef Sea Star

## Countries with the most observations

NZ (773)

## Summary

Stichaster australis, the reef starfish, is a species of starfish found in the shallow waters of the rocky intertidal of New Zealand. Typically, the animal is endemic to the west coast shores of the North and South Islands, where wave action is increased. They do not usually inhabit ecosystems that have reduced wave action and calm conditions as they prefer a higher-energy environment. These marine invertebrates range in color from pink to purple, but can also be orange. They typically have eleven arms, but sometimes they may have either ten or twelve. As full-grown adults, they are 8 to 10 cm in diameter.

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

## Photo

![Reef Sea Star](https://animalchecklist.com/img/animals/reef-sea-star/medium.jpg)

Photo: Felix Zareie-Vaux · CC0 · inaturalist — https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/54891765

## Machine access

`GET https://animalchecklist.com/api/v1/animals/reef-sea-star?lang=pl` — see [openapi.json](https://animalchecklist.com/openapi.json).