Description
Coloration can vary — these are not always bright orange. Red, brown, or tan forms are also common, and the mosaic plate pattern on the arms can look more or less distinct depending on the individual and lighting.
Iconaster longimanus (icon star or double star) lives on Indo-Pacific reefs, especially lower reef slopes and areas of rubble. It tucks itself among rocks, coral fragments, and encrusting growth, where it is often well camouflaged against the substrate. Safely concealed, it feeds by moving slowly over hard surfaces and rubble, consuming detritus, bacteria, micro-organisms, and thin films of growth.
Did you know?
If threatened, many starfish (including this species) can drop an arm to distract a predator and give themselves a chance to escape. The lost arm regenerates over time, and the starfish continues its life with one less limb until the new one grows back.
Conservation
Reef animals like this are at risk from habitat loss, coastal development, pollution, and collection for the aquarium trade. Careless divers or visitors can damage fragile reef habitats, and removing animals from the wild reduces populations that are already slow-growing.
Cool facts
This species produces large, yolky eggs that develop directly into tiny juvenile starfish, skipping the free-swimming larval stage common in many other sea stars!
It can reach about 30 cm (12 inches) across, with long, slender arms that give it its scientific name (longimanus = long-handed)!
It can reach about 30 cm (12 inches) across, with long, slender arms that give it its scientific name (longimanus = long-handed)!
Clean Up Crews only Ship on Monday - Thursday to avoid sitting in hot/cold trucks & warehouses over weekends. They all ship via UPS Overnight Service.
Clean Up Crew Basics & Why Ours are Different!
- We ship UPS Next Day on All Orders, no slow shipping no USPS, we want the best chance of success for all your tank inhabitants.
- All of our invert tanks are Fallow, we do not keep them with fish.
- If you have an issue with something dying, we will make it right by refund or reshipment. We know buying livestock online can be tricky at times.
- We don't buy/sell micro pea sized livestock. All of our snails, crabs, etc we purchase Medium to X Large sizes. I hate buying clean up crews online and getting hundreds of small barely viable inverts.
- We check your shipping location before packing and include the appropriate number of heat/cold packs. Being a larger company we aren't afraid to spend more on shipping and packing to give your animals the best chance at thriving.
- Flat Rate UPS Next Day Air anywhere in the lower 48 states.
- We are building this program from the ground up so we can control everything. We do not drop ship. We control the animals we select, the husbandry, prep, pick, pack, ship. The entire process. We are just getting started.
