page_title: Bat star
section_title: Reproduction
hierarchical_section_title: Bat star / Reproduction
caption_attribution_description: English: Bat star bipinnaria at fourth day of development Photographed using confocal microscopy. Histones are labeled in blue, actin filaments in orange.
context_page_description: The bat star, also known as a sea bat, webbed star, and broad-disk star, is a species of sea star in the family Asterinidae. It typically has five arms, with the center disk of the animal being much wider than the stubby arms are in length. Although the bat star usually has five arms, it sometimes has as many as nine. Bat stars occur in many colors, including green, purple, red, orange, yellow and brown, either mottled or solid. The bat star gets its name from the webbing between its arms, which is said to resemble a bat's wings.
  The bat star is usually found in the intertidal zone to a depth of 300 metres. Its range extends from Sitka, Alaska to Baja California in the Pacific Ocean. It is most abundant along the coast of Central California and the Monterey Bay.
context_section_description: The bat stars reproduce through spawning. The male casts sperm and the female drops eggs; each has pores at the base of the rays for this purpose. The sperm and egg unite at sea and are carried away by ocean currents.
caption: Bat star bipinnaria at fourth day of development Photographed using confocal microscopy. Histones are labeled in blue, actin filaments in orange.
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