PHYLUM: Echinodermata
CLASS: Asteroidea
SPECIES: Henricia leviuscula
COMMON NAME: Blood Star
Henricia is one of the common sea stars of Monterey. It ranges from Alaska to Baja. It almost always has five arms, but has been found with four or six on occasion. It's color is quite variable, all the way from tan to red, often with darker banding. It can be found from the intertidal zone down to 400m.
Henricia may eat sponges and bryozoans in the typical sea star fashion, by extending it's cardiac stomach over it's prey. However, it is also known to carry out a form of suspension feeding. It can often be seen sitting on the edge of a rock with the ends of its arms lifted up off the bottom. It does this to capture bacteria and small organic particles in the mucus of its tube feet.