Brief Summary

Culcita novaeguineae (also known as Pin cushion sea star) is a sea star from the Class Asteroidea, of phylum Echinodermata. It is characterised by its cushion shape and short arms that morph very gradually into the central disc. It is a bottom dweller happy on sandy substrates (Hickman et al. 2008). It feeds on sessile prey as its a slow mover, even slow for an Asteroid, due to its very short arms. It is found in coral reefs all over the Indo-Pacific (Yamagutchi 1975).