Brood (Slender) Star (Lepasterias spp.)

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Live Slender Sea Star (Lepasterias spp.)
Please note this is a live marine specimen.

The Slender Sea Star (Lepasterias spp.), also known as the Brood Sea Star, is a striking intertidal echinoderm found clinging to rocks and hiding within crevices along Maine’s coastal shallows. Distinguished by its slender arms and mottled hues of purple, green, and grey, this species is particularly unique for its brooding behavior—females carry and protect their developing young beneath their central disc. A fascinating example of parental care in marine invertebrates, the Slender Sea Star is a valuable specimen for classroom study, aquarium display, and research on echinoderm reproduction and ecology. Each specimen is sustainably hand-collected from the Gulf of Maine.

Key Facts:
Common name: Slender sea star, brood sea star
Scientific name: Lepasterias spp.
Locations: Shallow waters of the coast, attached to rocks, in cracks and crevices
Seasonality: Available all year
Colors: Purple, green, grey
Size: 3” – 12”
Collected: By hand
Quantity: Sold by the each
Note: This is a live marine specimen. Natural variations in size, color, and appearance from photos should be expected. If you would like any specimen preserved, please send a request to: info@gulfofme.com

Live Slender Sea Star (Lepasterias spp.)
Please note this is a live marine specimen.

The Slender Sea Star (Lepasterias spp.), also known as the Brood Sea Star, is a striking intertidal echinoderm found clinging to rocks and hiding within crevices along Maine’s coastal shallows. Distinguished by its slender arms and mottled hues of purple, green, and grey, this species is particularly unique for its brooding behavior—females carry and protect their developing young beneath their central disc. A fascinating example of parental care in marine invertebrates, the Slender Sea Star is a valuable specimen for classroom study, aquarium display, and research on echinoderm reproduction and ecology. Each specimen is sustainably hand-collected from the Gulf of Maine.

Key Facts:
Common name: Slender sea star, brood sea star
Scientific name: Lepasterias spp.
Locations: Shallow waters of the coast, attached to rocks, in cracks and crevices
Seasonality: Available all year
Colors: Purple, green, grey
Size: 3” – 12”
Collected: By hand
Quantity: Sold by the each
Note: This is a live marine specimen. Natural variations in size, color, and appearance from photos should be expected. If you would like any specimen preserved, please send a request to: info@gulfofme.com

See and learn about these unique 'starfish' that hold and protect their young offspring as they grow.


Tidepool Tim says,  “This star is a forager and predator. It’s relatively flat with characteristically slender arms. It has a relatively small disc and five arms. These stars are photosensitive, meaning they have exterior photoreceptor proteins in their cell walls which inform their brain of the time of day. With this information, these stars spend the daylight hours buried in sediment.”

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