seastar Perknaster fuscus antarcticus

Perknaster fuscus antarcticus is found throughout Antarctica south of sixty degrees in depths of 0 to 457 meters [5,8]. P. fuscus antarcticus has been collected at sizes up to fourteen centimeters in radius from its center to the tip of an arm [7].


Color of Perknaster fuscus antarcticus ranges from shades of red with darker spots or stripes to a yellow or light orange background with red markings [7].

P. fuscus antarcticus has a color morph at Turtle Rock due to its diet of urchins and Odontaster validus [6].


Juvenile Perknaster fuscus antarcticus are important predators of the sponge Homaxinella balfourensis (shown here) and also eat the sponges Tetilla leptoderma, Haliclona dancoi, Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata, Polymastia invaginata, and Kirkpatrickia variolosa [1,2].


Adult Perknaster fuscus antarcticus are food-specific predators of the sponges Tetilla leptoderma, Anoxycalyx (Scolymastra) joubini, and Mycale (Oxymycale) acerata [2,3].

Here the sea urchin Sterechinus neumayeri is crawling across an adult P. fuscus antarcticus.


Perknaster fuscus antarcticus can be an opportunistic scavenger on dead material [5].

Here P. fuscus antarcticus is scavenging on something with the proboscis worm Parborlasia corrugatus.

Perknaster fuscus antarcticus is eaten by the anemone Urticinopsis antarcticus [4].


A small Perknaster fuscus antarcticus is shown here, with a radius of four centimeters [10].

P. fuscus antarcticus appears to be chemically defended from most predators [9].

1: Science 245:1484-1486, 1989; 2: Ecological Monographs 44(1):105-128, 1974; 3: Biologie des Spongiaires, Sponge Biology. C Levi and N Boury-Esnault, eds. Colloques Internationaux du Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique Number 291. Paris : Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, 1979. pp.271-282; 4: Antarctic Ecology, Volume 1. MW Holdgate, ed. NY: Academic Press, 1970. pp244-258; 5: Adaptations within Antarctic Ecosystems : Proceedings of the Third SCAR Symposium on Antarctic Biology. George A. Llano, ed. Washington : Smithsonian Institution ; Houston, Tex. : distributed by Gulf Pub. Co., 1977. pp.293-326; 6: P Dayton, personal communication, 1998; 7: The Fauna of the Ross Sea, Part 3, Asteroidea. HES Clark. New Zealand Department of Scientific and Industrial Research Bulletin 151, New Zealand Oceanographic Institute Memoir 21, 1963; 8: Tethys 6(3):631-653, 1974; 9: Antarctic Ecosystems : Models for Wider Ecological Understanding. W Davison, C Howard-Williams, P Broady, eds. Christchurch, NZ : New Zealand Natural Sciences, 2000. pp. 158-164; 10: Paul Cziko, personal communication, 2004

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. All photographs ©Paul Cziko & Norbert Wu. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Paul Cziko & Norbert Wu. Norbert Wu no longer grants permission for uncompensated use of his photos under any circumstances whatsoever; want more info?