From Natural History of Southeast Alaska
| Class
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Asteroidea +
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| Common name is
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Dawson's sun star +
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| Documentation requested
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false +
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| Family
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Solasteridae +
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| Genus
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Solaster +
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| Order
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Velatida +
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| Origination status is
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Native +
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| Phylum
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Echinodermata +
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| Scientific name is
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Solaster dawsoni +
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| SpecificEpithet
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Dawsoni +
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| Summary
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Similar to [[Solaster stimpsoni|Stimpson's … Similar to [[Solaster stimpsoni|Stimpson's sun star (''Solaster stimpsoni'')]], which usually has a black dorsal stripe running from the central disk, out over each arm. A definitive characteristic is that ''S. Dawsoni'' has long, individually defined ambulacral spines, whereas those of ''S. stimpsoni'' are shorter, and terminate a common structure (ambulacral spines are found along the edges of the space in which the tube feet are located).
There are two more species which may be confused with this one:
[[Solaster endeca|Northern Pacific Sun Star (''Solaster endeca'')]] has arms that are "puffy" so that the armpits appear creased. It is primarily a subtidal species. It tends to be orange-tan in color.
''[[Solaster paxillatus]]'' is very, very similar to ''Solaster dawsoni''. It tends to have proportionately longer arms, and the spines along the edges of the furled-in "gutter" of the arms tend to be organized in groups of four, rather than three as in this species. ''Solaster paxillatus'' is a subtidal species that has been observed on longline gear off Sitka.
This starfish is cannibalistic and a fierce predator. Its primary prey is ''Solaster stimpsoni'', but it also is reputed to be a major predator of [[Dermasterias imbricata|Leather star (''Dermasterias imbricata'')]]. It is regularly found in the shallow subtidal at negative tides, usually among large rocks covered with kelp in areas that aren't exposed to heavy surf or siltation.aren't exposed to heavy surf or siltation. +
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| TaxonRank
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species +
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| TaxonRemarks
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Two subspecies known, type and ssp. arcticus +
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| Has queryThis property is a special property in this wiki.
|
Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
|
| Categories |
Marine Invertebrate +
, Species +
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| Modification dateThis property is a special property in this wiki.
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25 July 2013 09:58:42 +
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| Has subobjectThis property is a special property in this wiki.
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Solaster dawsoni +
, Solaster dawsoni +
|
