Paulasterias mcclaini

Lore & Background

Paulasterias mcclaini was collected by marine biologist Craig McClain and first described by echinoderm specialist Christopher Mah in 2015, named in honor of its finder. Along with its sister species Paulasterias tyleri, also found at hydrothermal vents, it differed markedly from other known starfish species, prompting the creation of the new family Paulasteriidae. This species is a six-armed starfish with slender tapering arms; larger specimens have a thick fleshy skin on the aboral surface with spongy tissue underneath that conceals the dermal plates. It is pink and covered with short spines.

Reader's Guide

Paulasterias mcclaini holds significance as the first starfish species known from hydrothermal vents, discovered in the Northeast Pacific off the coast of Washington and Oregon. Its discovery, along with its sister species, necessitated the establishment of a new family, Paulasteriidae, highlighting its distinctiveness from other starfish. The species inhabits rock, lava flows, mud, and clay in the cooler, cleaner water near hydrothermal vents, as starfish cannot tolerate the hot, sulphurous, toxic vent environment. It likely feeds on sea anemones and goose barnacles, which occupy zones beyond the vent chimneys alongside Hoff crabs and gastropod molluscs. This starfish is part of a unique deep-sea community, and its morphology—six arms, pink color, short spines, and fleshy skin—distinguishes it from other forcipulatacean starfish.

Did You Know?

• It was named after marine biologist Craig McClain, who collected the specimen.
• This species has six slender tapering arms and is pink with short spines.
• It was described in 2015 by echinoderm specialist Christopher Mah.