Pincushion starfish (Culcita schmideliana)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Asteroidea · Order: Valvatida · Family: Oreasteridae · Genus: Culcita.

Accepted name: Culcita schmideliana · Authority: (Bruzelius, 1805) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 212295.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Asterias discoidea Lamarck, 1816; Asterias schmideliana Bruzelius, 1805; Culcita schmideliana var. africana Döderlein, 1896; Goniodiscus studeri deLoriol, 1885.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=212295 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Culcita schmideliana. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.

Depth range: 3–21 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

SeaLifeBase notes: Found on coral reefs (Ref. 129602). Forages on hard and soft corals as well as sponges (Ref. 102838).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 163823) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Culcita-schmideliana.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

777 georeferenced occurrence records for Culcita schmideliana are published through GBIF from 24 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 129 distinct locations from a sample of 777 records, omitting 12 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.

Most records by country or area: Maldives (226); Tanzania, United Republic of (103); Thailand (83); Madagascar (76); Kenya (74); Seychelles (50); South Africa (30); Indonesia (27); Mozambique (26); India (17); Mauritius (17); Réunion (9); Australia (6); Sri Lanka (5); Myanmar (5).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Seychellois Exclusive Economic Zone; Mozambican Exclusive Economic Zone; West Indian Ocean; Mascarene Basin; Eastern Africa & Madagascar; Somali Exclusive Economic Zone; Kenyan Exclusive Economic Zone; Aldabra; Red Sea; Tanzanian Exclusive Economic Zone; Madagascar; Chagos.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5187238) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5187238&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=212295 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-25.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Culcita schmideliana is a roughly pentagonal starfish with a leathery surface and an inflated appearance. It is subglobose in shape when fully adult, with a very convex aboral (upper) surface and flat base. The aboral surface is scattered with small conical spines (that supposedly never enter the papular zones) and the oral (under) surface has small granulations and is clad in large conical tubercles, those nearest the ambulacral grooves and the margin being ovate in cross section and the largest.

This starfish varies in color but often has a greyish background with small pink patches mostly adjacent to black tubercles. The madreporite is usually an orangeish color.

This starfish often has several commensal animals in its body cavity or on its surface. A carapid fish is usually to be found living in its stomach and sometimes the polychaete worm Gastrolepidia clavigera crawls over its surface. There is also often a tiny commensal shrimp Periclimenes soror hiding almost invisibly on its aboral surface.

Culcita schmideliana is native to the tropical western Indo-Pacific. Its range extends from Madagascar, the East African coast and the Red Sea to Aldabra, Chagos, Philippines Islands, the Seychelles, the Maldives, Sri Lanka and Australia. It is found in lagoon areas and on inner reef flats with seagrasses and among algae at depths down to about 92 m.

Culcita schmideliana feeds mainly on the epibenthic film of organic detritus and micro-organisms growing on algae and sea grasses. It also browses on the sponge Gellius cymiformis, which is usually associated with the symbiotic alga Ceratodictyon spongiosum, and the living tissues and polyps of the stony corals Galaxea and Goniopora and the soft coral Xenia. In grazing in this way on corals it resembles the better known cushion star Culcita novaeguineae.

Source: Wikipedia: Culcita schmideliana — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culcita_schmideliana (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-25.