page_title: Astropecten
section_title: Identification
hierarchical_section_title: Astropecten / Identification
caption_attribution_description: English: Spines of Astropecten Italiano: Aculei delle Astropecten 1. papule: sono delle appendici molli e retrattili con funzioni respiratorie che si trovano nelle cavità del lato aborale della stella 2. passille: piastre tipiche di alcuni Asteroidei che consistono in una struttura a forma di piccola colonna cilindrica alla cui estremità si trovano numerosi piccolissimi aculei 3. aculei delle placche marginali dorsali 4. placche marginali dorsali 5. squame e piccoli aculei che ricoprono la faccia laterale verticale delle placche marginali dorsali 6. placche ambulacrali in cui si trovano dei fori da cui fuoriescono i pedicelli ambulacrali 7. placche adambulacrali 8. placche marginali ventrali 9. aculei delle placche marginali ventrali 10. pedicellarie: particolari pedicelli con terminazione prensile atti ad afferrare organismi e detrito 11. spine adambulacrali esterne 12. spine adambulacrali medie 13. spine adambulacrali interne 14. pedicelli ambulacrali
context_page_description: Astropecten is a genus of sea stars of the family Astropectinidae.
context_section_description: These sea stars are similar one to each other and it can be difficult to determine with certainty the species only from a photograph. To have a certain determination, in some cases, animals should be analyzed in the laboratory or using genetic testing, but often it isn’t possible. In order to determine the species, with a reasonable margin of error, it’s necessary to observe the appearance of the animal, in particular, based on some typical features described by principal authors that have analyzed over the years a large number of specimens in the laboratory.
  The main elements, to determine the various species from photo, are: the appearance of the dorsal marginal plates and spines, the size, the shape of disc and arms. For a good identification by sea photo it is important to take a complete picture of all the subject, a picture of the detail of the marginal plates and to measure as precisely as possible the diameter of the sea star. All this can be done without touching, turning it, or disturbing the animal.
  Starfishes have two sides: an upper side called “aboral side” (which is normally visible), and a bottom side called “oral side” (which rests on the seabed).
caption: Description of arm’s section of starfish genus Astropecten. 
   1- papulas: they are soft and retractable appendages with respiratory functions 2- paxilla 3- superomarginal spines 4- superomarginal plates 5- scales and small spines covering the vertical face of superomarginal plates 6- ambulacral plates 7- adambulacral plates 8- inferomarginal plates 9- inferomarginal spines 10- pedicellaria: special pedicels with prehensile termination necessary to grab bodies and detritus 11- external adambulacral spines 12- median adambulacral spines 13- internal adambulacral spines 14- ambulacral pedicellaria
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