Bloody Henry starfish (Henricia oculata)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Asteroidea · Order: Spinulosida · Family: Echinasteridae · Genus: Henricia.

Accepted name: Henricia oculata · Authority: (Pennant, 1777) · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 123970.

Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Asterias oculata Pennant, 1777; Cribrella oculata (Pennant, 1777); Cribrella sarsi Perrier, 1878.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=123970 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

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

Habitat zone: benthic.

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 48937) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Henricia-oculata.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

7,050 georeferenced occurrence records for Henricia oculata are published through GBIF from 16 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 134 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 24 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: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (5,278); Ireland (1,068); France (284); Canada (133); Guernsey (133).

The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 5187371) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=5187371&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=123970 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

Henricia oculata (NB: This translates from Latin as "eyed Henry") is a five-armed starfish that grows to a diameter of about 12 cm. It is rather rigid and the aboral (upper) surface feels rough due to there being numerous low spines under the skin. It is variable in colour, being dark red, brown, purple or yellowish, the outer portions of the arms sometimes being paler than the disc and inner portions. It is very similar in appearance to Henricia sanguinolenta, but tends to have more irregularly arranged dorsal spinelets that are more opaque.

The species is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, mainly around the coasts of the United Kingdom and Ireland. It also occurs in Guernsey, Jersey and northern France, and there have been isolated occurrences in Norway and the United States. It is most common on the western coasts of the British Isles and occurs on rock, boulders, stones, shingle, gravel, and shelly substrates. Its depth range is from the low intertidal down to 50 m or more.

Primarily a suspension feeder, H. oculata consumes suspended organic particles, detritus, sponges, hydroids and bryozoans, but the starfish can supplement these by everting its stomach to feed on other invertebrates. More than 90% of individuals of this species are associated with a parasitic copepod, Asterocheres lilljeborgi.

Source: Wikipedia: Henricia oculata — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henricia_oculata (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

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