II.  HABITAT AND DISTRIBUTION 

Regional Occurrence:
The cushioned star occurs in the eastern and western Altantic, from North Carolina to Brazil and Cape Verde Islands in western Africa. Adult Oreaster reticulatus are usually found in calm shallow waters (depths from 1 - 37 m) and more commonly occur on calcareous sandy bottoms (Anderson 1978, Guzman and Guevara 2002). Larvae and juveniles are usually found in seagrass beds (Guzman and Guevara 2002).

IRL Distribution:
Oreaster reticulatus occurs in the Indian River Lagoon.

III. LIFE HISTORY AND POPULATION BIOLOGY

Age, Size, Lifespan:
The cushioned star reaches sexual maturity at approximate radius of 12 cm (Guzman and Guevara 2002). Individuals can grow up to 50 cm in diameter. The growth potential of an individual is thought to be limited by food availability, usually caused by intraspecific competition in large aggregations. During times of low food availability, O. reticulatus will reabsorb its body tissues to prevent starvation and as a result decrease in size (Scheibling 1980a).

Abundance:
Adults occur in dense aggregations called 'fronts' of 200 to 4000 individuals (Guzman and Guevara 2002, Metaxas et al. 2002). The size of the fronts is dependent upon the available substratum and higher densities of the fronts are correlated with the annual reproductive cycle. Oreaster reticulatus can occur at densities of 14 individuals per m² ensuring reproductive success (Scheibling 1980a and b, Guzman and Guevara 2002). There are mass migrations of the cushioned star to calmer offshore habitats in the winter months to avoid turbulence (Scheibling 1980a, Scheibling 1985).

Reproduction:
Oreaster reticulatus have separate sexes and reproduce annually in summer in subtropical regions. In more tropical areas where water temperatures are high nine months out of the year, there is asynchronous spawning year round (Guzman and Guevara 2002).

Embryology:
The planktonic larvae of the cushioned star are disbursed over long distances in water currents. Larvae will settle and metamorphose in seagrass beds. Recruitment to adult populations of Oreaster reticulatus from nursery grounds occurs when individuals enter the last juvenile stage, measuring 6-12 cm in length (Scheibling 1980a)