Henricia sanguinolenta is not considered an endangered or threatened species.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
There are no known adverse effects of Henricia sanguinolenta on humans.
Henricia sanguinolenta does not have any substantial direct impacts on human prosperity or health. It is known to feed on to feed on invasive species of ascidians in North America (Djikstra et al., 2006). It is nonetheless a bright and colorful seastar that can be viewed by visitors along the shore line.
This species of sea star feeds on suspended material using the filter-feeding, but also sometimes consumes the tissues of sponges, ascidians and other sessile invertebrates.
Animal Foods: cnidarians; other marine invertebrates
Other Foods: detritus
Foraging Behavior: filter-feeding
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats other marine invertebrates); planktivore
Henricia sanguinolenta is most often found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. It can be seen from Greenland to Cape Hatteras on the western side of the Atlantic. It is frequently found on the west coast of Scotland.
Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )
The blood star can often be found along the shore, on or beneath rocks and on gravel. It may live in a somewhat exposed habitat, and is often found living in the midst of some species of sponges. Henricia sanguinolenta can inhabit shallow waters and ranges down as deep as 365 m.
Range depth: 365 (high) m.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; polar ; saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; coastal
Henricia sanguinolenta can be found in a variety of different colors, but it is very often seen in a rich red color, which is how it acquired the common name of blood star. It can also be colored purple, lavender, orange, or yellow. A similar species, Henricia oculata is almost indistinguishable from H. sanguinolenta, but has the spines on the former's dorsum are blunt. The blood star grows to a diameter of 7 to 10 centimeters. It has five rays or arms which taper evenly to the tips, no marginal plates, two tube foot rows, and no pedicellaria. Henricia sanguinolenta has a sandpapery texture and fine spinelets with 3 to 6 glassy points on its dorsal surface. The sides of it arms are curved smoothly, with no clear distinction between dorsal and ventral surface, and each has a narrow ambulacral groove which contains the tube feet.
Range length: 7 to 10 cm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; radial symmetry
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
A toxin in the coelomic fluid of Asterias forbesi is fatal when injected into most species of sea stars, but does not have an effect on Henricia sanguinolenta.
Henricia sanguinolenta is considered a stable gonochoric. In other words, it has separate sexes and the ratio of the sexes is approximately equal. This species generally reproduces between the months of February and May. It migrates into shallower, warmer water during the breeding season. Its eggs are kept beneath the disk of the sea star to incubate. The female deposits her eggs on the ocean floor and situates herself over the eggs with her body raised for three weeks. The eggs are covered in sticky mucus, so they remain tightly together. The parent fasts during this brooding period as well.
Key Reproductive Features: iteroparous ; seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; fertilization (External ); oviparous
This species is one of the few sea stars that broods its eggs until they become independent. The larvae of H. sanguinolenta do not go through the free-swimming larval stage as most sea star larvae do. They continue to live enlosed in the dome created by the parent's arms until they grow into tiny sea stars that can survive on their own.
Parental Investment: pre-fertilization (Provisioning, Protecting: Female); pre-hatching/birth (Protecting: Female); pre-independence (Protecting: Female)
Henricia sanguinolenta, commonly known as the northern henricia, is a species of sea star from the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Henricia sanguinolenta is very similar to Henricia oculata, also known as "bloody Henry", and the two can only be distinguished by laboratory tests. It comes in colors of red, yellow, orange, purple, and lavender.
Henricia sanguinolenta is found in the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. The sea star can be seen on the beach, under rocks, in tidal pools when available, and on gravel. Its aquatic biomes are the coastal and benthic zones. The sea star is almost always found near sponges and coral because of the currents they create, making it easier for the sea star to filter feed. Henricia sanguinolenta is found from depths of 0 to 2414 meters.
Henricia sanguinolenta is a planktivore and carnivore. The sea star filter feeds upon detritus and plankton floating in the water, and uses currents made by sponges or coral to make this process easier. Henricia feeds on plankton, sponge tissue, ascidians, and other invertebrates. It is eaten by vertebrates.
Henricia sanguinolenta is a stable gonochoric. The sea star usually reproduces during February and May. The sea stars migrate to warm, shallow water during the breeding season. The sea stars mate through disk fusion. The eggs are then kept under the disk of the female starfish to incubate after fertilization occurs. After incubation, the female deposits its eggs on the ground, secretes mucus onto them, and then stays on top of the eggs for three weeks while they hatch. The sea stars are polygamous. Henricia sanguinolenta has a diploid chromosome number of 36.
Although Henricia sanguinolenta can reproduce sexually, it can also reproduce asexually. It reproduces asexually through the process of regeneration. The sea star can go through regeneration if the disc is split in half, or even if a ray is cut off. The regeneration process takes weeks to months to complete.
Henricia sanguinolenta is an invertebrate. It has slender five rays that taper evenly to tips that are connected by a central disc. The sea star grows to a diameter of 5 to 12 centimeters. On the oral side, the rays are smooth and have an ambulacral groove that contains two tube foot rows. On the dorsal side, the rays are rough with groupings of spinelets, each one have three to six glassy points. The sides of the rays are curving and smooth. The rays contain many of the organs in the sea star. On the tips of the rays are the eyespots. These are dark pigmented organs that sense the presence of light. The rays also contain parts of the pyloric stomach, parts of the nervous system, and most other organs.
The tube foot rows are on the oral side of the rays. Each ray has two tube foot rows. The tube foot rows are attached to the rays by ambulacral grooves. The Tube Foot Rows use a chemical adhesive to stick to surfaces instead of suction. The tube foot rows help the sea star stick to its prey, and to bring the prey to its mouth. The tube foot rows also aid in gas exchange. the tube foot rows are sensitive to chemicals enabling the sea star to detect chemical trails left by possible food. The tube foot rows also excrete waste ammonia through diffusion.
Henricia sanguinolenta has no brain, but has a nervous system. The sea star has no capacity for planning. The nervous system has two parts. They are motor system and the sensory system which are interconnected by neurons. The motor system is responsible for movement and functioning and the sensory system is responsible for controlling the sensory organs. Both of these systems run up and down the arms, and around the disc.
Henricia sanguinolenta, like all other sea stars, uses water instead of blood. Henricia sanguinolenta pumps filtered seawater in and out of its body. This seawater is transported through a vascular tube system, and delivers nutrients to the different organs and helps in gas exchange. Water enters through the madreporite, a sieve-like structure on the oral side.
The body wall is composed of epidermis, dermis, thin cuticle, and a thin coelomic myoepithelial layer.
Henricia sanguinolenta has two stomachs, a small intestine, and a rectum leading to an anus. The two stomachs are called the cardiac stomach, and the pyloric stomach. The cardiac stomach is on the oral side, in the center of the disc. It is covered by a thin membrane and sphincter. When the sea star has its prey, it extends the stomach to envelope the prey. Once the prey is enveloped, it then retracts back into the disc, and transfers it to the pyloric stomach for further digestion. The pyloric stomach has two extensions into each arm called the pyloric caeca. These secrete digestive enzymes into the pyloric stomach. Then, the waste is transported through a short intestine, and rectum. The material that is left is secreted through a small anus on the oral side of the disc.
The papulae are small are small gills on the rays and disc. Waste ammonia is transported to the tips of the papulae using phagocytic cells, and is then excreted.
Henricia sanguinolenta has a circulatory system that forms three rings of vessels. They are called the hyponeural haemal ring, the gastric ring, and the genital ring. The heart beats six times every minute and connects all three vessels. At the base of each ray, there is a pair of gonads.
Henricia sanguinolenta shows behavioral adaptations in addition to physical ones. The sea star is usually seen with sponges and coral, using the currents they make to feed upon detritus. Henricia sanguinolenta is also one of the only species of sea stars that broods its eggs. The female stays with the eggs while they hatch, and continues to stay with them as larvae. The larvae stay in a dome shape created by the female's arms until they are ready to go into the ocean on their own. Until spring time, Henricia sanguinolenta lives a solitary life. Henricia sanguinolenta also doesn't react to the fluid of Asterias forbesi, which is toxic to most other sea stars.
Henricia sanguinolenta has no negative or positive impact on humans. The sea star is not harmful to humans or the economy, and only may slightly affect the tourist industry with its bright colors.
Henricia sanguinolenta, commonly known as the northern henricia, is a species of sea star from the North Atlantic and North Pacific oceans. Henricia sanguinolenta is very similar to Henricia oculata, also known as "bloody Henry", and the two can only be distinguished by laboratory tests. It comes in colors of red, yellow, orange, purple, and lavender.