A genus of small starfish (sea stars), typically featuring five arms and small size, commonly found in shallow marine environments.
From 'Asterias' (the larger starfish genus) plus the diminutive suffix '-ina,' making 'Asterina' mean 'little stars' or 'small asterias.' This is a common pattern in scientific naming.
The suffix '-ina' (like in Asterina) is used in Latin to make things sound smaller or more delicate, which is why so many adorable-sounding creatures and plants have names ending in '-ina'—it literally means the diminutive form.
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