Blue Starfish Classification
Linnaeus's classification system goes from general to specific, kingdom to species. Blue starfish belong to the kingdom Animalia in the phylum Echinodermata and class Asteroidea. They are in the order Valvatida, the family Ophidasteridae, genus Linckia and species laevigata. During Linnaeus's time, classification was based on description and observation, and often scientists disagreed on the classification. Today, many scientists utilize DNA for assigning the classification, causing fewer heated discussions between researchers.
Phylum: Echinodermata
Echinoderms are invertebrates -- they lack a backbone. They are characterized by radial symmetry. A starfish has five arms arranged in a circle, and each arm is identical, including duplicate sets of organs. Echinoderms have no heart, brain or eyes. In addition to starfish, the phylum echinodermata includes sea urchins, sea cucumbers, brittle stars and sand dollars.
Class: Asteroidea: Starfish
Starfish live throughout the marine system. They are omnivorous opportunity feeders; they feed on organic material that sinks from above. The arms may break off during an attack. The starfish has the ability to regrow the arm, and the piece that broke off could result in the formation of a second starfish.
Linckia laevigata: Blue Sea Star
The genus and specie classification for blue sea star is Linckia laevigata. They live in the marine coral reefs of Indonesia up to 60 meters deep. Blue sea stars are roughly 30 to 40 centimeters in diameter, and reproduce sexually and asexually. They live up to 10 years. Since they are nocturnal, not much is known about their habits. They are not listed as threatened or endangered. However, the coral reefs they live on are failing. They are also being harvested for home aquariums. Both these pressures could cause their population numbers to drop.