Blue linckia sea stars at New Ireland in Papua New Guinea

© Jurgen Freund/Minden Picture

How sweet to be a star, floating in the blue.. Blue linckia sea stars in Papua New Guinea

In shallow portions of the tropical Indo-Pacific you’ll come across the blue linckia sea star. Oftentimes, they’re found anchored to or hiding under rocks. This duo was found in the New Ireland area of Papua New Guinea. Even though ‘blue’ is in the name, this species of sea star has also been observed in purple, pink, and orange colours. These colours make them very popular in the seashell trade, much to the detriment of their populations due to continuous harvesting. Though, when left undisturbed, these starfish can live as long as 10 years in the wild. Scientists have studied potential anti-tumour and antibacterial properties inherent to the blue linckia.