Heliaster
Heliaster is a genus of Asteroidea in the family Heliasteridae.Species
- Heliaster canopus Perrier, 1875
- Heliaster cumingi
- Heliaster helianthus
- Heliaster kubiniji Xantus, 1860
- Heliaster microbrachius Xantus, 1860
- Heliaster polybrachius H.L. Clark, 1907
- Heliaster solaris A.H. Clark, 1920
Whole specimens of Heliaster microbrachius have been found preserved in calcite-cemented quartz in Southwest Florida that dates to the Pliocene, 3.5 to 2.5 million years ago. Today H. microbrachius is found only in the Pacific Ocean: on the coast of Panama, and Acapulco in Mexico. This suggests that greater connection between the two oceans gave the species a more extensive range in the past.
