Blue Sea Star
Phataria unifascialis
Spanish: Estrella azul del Pacífico
Phataria unifascialis is a species of starfish in the family Ophidiasteridae. It is sometimes known as the blue seastar or tan starfish, but both these names are also used for other species (e.g., blue seastar for Linckia laevigata). It is native to the eastern Pacific Ocean where it ranges from the Gulf of California and Magdalena Bay (Mexico) to northwest Peru, including various eastern Pacific island groups such as the Galápagos. It remains fully active at... Most often recorded in Dec, Apr, Aug, Mar.
- 2024-12-26 — observation by sirenadelmanglar
- 2023-08-08 — observation by sosar
- 2019-12-30 — observation by sombrero_de_polen
- 2019-04-21 — observation by j-stauffer
- 2019-04-21 — observation by j-stauffer
- 2019-03-08 — observation by jacobyamahar6
Interactive card with more photos, sounds and similar species Shore life guide iNaturalist Wikipedia
Cite as: “Blue Sea Star (Phataria unifascialis) at La Saladita”, La Saladita Field Guide, lasaladita.com/species/phataria-unifascialis/, updated 2026-09-26. Observation counts and months come from iNaturalist research-grade records within about 50 km of 17.8375°N, 101.7606°W (the survey box also takes in Zihuatanejo, Ixtapa and Troncones); summary text from Wikipedia where present.