Magnificent star (Luidia magnifica)

Classification (WoRMS)

Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Asteroidea · Order: Paxillosida · Family: Luidiidae · Genus: Luidia.

Accepted name: Luidia magnifica · Authority: Fisher, 1906 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 368134.

Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=368134 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)

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

Depth range: 18–133 m · Habitat zone: benthic · Aquarium trade: never/rarely.

SeaLifeBase notes: Inhabits sandy areas in shallow waters (Ref. 800).

Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 86692) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Luidia-magnifica.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)

38 georeferenced occurrence records for Luidia magnifica are published through GBIF from 7 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 17 distinct locations from a sample of 38 records, omitting 3 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: French Polynesia (10); United States of America (10); Mexico (9); Thailand (4); Panama (3); Madagascar (1); Northern Mariana Islands (1).

Marine regions with a valid WoRMS distribution record: Hawaiian Islands.

Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 2270598) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=2270598&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=368134 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.

Description and natural history (Wikipedia)

The magnificent star usually has 10 long, tapering arms with pointed tips though there are occasionally 11 arms. One or more of these may be regenerating after being damaged or removed by a predator. The upper surface is covered with paxillae, pillar-like spines with truncated ends. There are also paxillae on the margins of the underside and multiple rows of tube feet running down the centre of each arm. The colour is variable, sometimes being creamy yellow with bands of red spots, but other specimens are darker in varying shades of brown and olive. The underside is usually creamy yellow and the tube feet are tipped with red.

The magnificent star can grow to a large size. One specimen on the Pearl and Hermes Atoll, Hawaii, was found to be 84 cm in diameter.

The magnificent star is found on sandy areas of the seabed surrounding Hawaii and the Philippines at a depth of between 18 m and 133 m.

Like other members of the genus Luidia, the magnificent star is likely to be an opportunist predator of macrofauna and possibly also a scavenger. Other related species favour a diet of bivalve molluscs and echinoids. The magnificent star can move rapidly, appearing to glide across the sandy seabed. It swallows large items of food whole, digesting them in its two stomachs and further processing the remains in the pyloric caeca in the base of its arms. It then ejects any undigested material through its anus.

Source: Wikipedia: Luidia magnifica — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luidia_magnifica (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.