Henricia oculata

Researched By	Angus Jackson	Data Supplied By	MarLIN
Refereed by	Dr A.C. Campbell
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Henricia oculata	Common name	Bloody Henry starfish
MCS Code	ZB83	Recent Synonyms	None
Phylum	Echinodermata	Subphylum	Asterozoa
Superclass		Class	Asteroidea
Subclass		Order	Spinulosida
Suborder		Family	Echinasteridae
Genus	Henricia	Species	oculata
Subspecies
Additional Information	Sometimes confused with Henricia sanguinolenta.
Taxonomy References	Howson & Picton, 1997, Campbell, 1994, Brun, 1976
General Biology
Growth form	Stellate	Feeding method	Omnivore, Passive suspension feeder
Mobility/Movement	Crawler	Environmental position	Epifaunal
Typical food types	Suspended matter, detritus layer, sponges, hydroids, ectoprocts	Habit	Free living
Bioturbator	Not relevant	Flexibility	Low (10-45 degrees)
Fragility	Intermediate	Size	Medium(11-20 cm)
Height		Growth Rate	0.3 - 1 % body wt/day
Adult dispersal potential	1km-10km	Dependency	Independent
Sociability	Solitary
Toxic/Poisonous?	No
Additional Information	Size at maturity refers to radius. Adults typically around 100 mm. Stomach eversion is an important supplement to suspension feeding. The parasitic cyclopoid copepod Asterocheres lillyeborgi has more than a 90% occurrence
Biology References	Campbell, 1994, Brun, 1976, Nichols, 1969
Distribution and Habitat
Distribution in Britain & Ireland	All round Ireland except perhaps for the east coast. South-east England round to the west coast northwards to northern Scotland.
Global distribution	South, West and North coasts of Britain and Ireland. West Channel and Brittany.
Biogeographic range	Not researched	Depth range	0 - 100 m
Migratory	Non-migratory / Resident
Distribution Additional Information	Henricia oculata is occasionally found exposed to the air at low spring tides (Campbell pers comm.).
Substratum preferences	Bedrock, Large to very large boulders, Small boulders, Cobbles, Gravel / shingle, Pebbles	Physiographic preferences	Open coast
Biological zone	Sublittoral Fringe, Upper Infralittoral, Lower Infralittoral, Upper Circalittoral, Lower Circalittoral	Wave exposure	Very Exposed, Exposed, Moderately Exposed
Tidal stream strength/Water flow	Insufficient information	Salinity	Insufficient information
Habitat Additional Information
Distribution References	Campbell, 1994, Brun, 1976, Nichols, 1969
Reproduction/Life History
Reproductive type	Gonochoristic	Developmental mechanism	Lecithotrophic, Direct Development
Reproductive Season	March to April	Reproductive Location	Insufficient information
Reproductive frequency	Annual protracted	Regeneration potential	No
Life span	3-5 years	Age at reproductive maturity	Insufficient information
Generation time	Insufficient information	Fecundity	100-1,000
Egg/propagule size	Insufficient information	Fertilization type	Insufficient information
Larvae/Juveniles Larval/Juvenile dispersal potential >10km Larval settlement period Insufficient information Duration of larval stage Insufficient information
Additional Information	Females have ripe eggs between March and April, males have mature sperm throughout the year. Maturity dependent on size rather than age.
Reproduction References	Brun, 1976