Description

The Cushion Star or Cushion Starfish (Culcita Novaeguineae), is a species of Starfish. It has short arms and an inflated appearance and resembles a pentagonal pincushion. It can be found in tropical warm waters in the Indo-Pacific. A mature Cushion Star or Cushion Starfish is pentagonal in shape with an inflated appearance and much-abbreviated arms. It can grow to a diameter of 12″ inches. Rows of tube feet are on the underside, and it has a central mouth.

The color varies and includes a mottling with darker and lighter shades of fawn, brown, orange, yellow and green. The armoring contains pits into which the tube feet can be retracted. The body cavity is filled with water. Small Cushion Stars or Cushion Starfish are very different in appearance. They are star-shaped, with five short, broad arms and a low profile. As they grow, the inter-arm areas fill in and expand relative to the tube-feet areas, and the arms get shorter relative to the disc which becomes inflated and more massive.