[3] Bat stars occur in many colors, including green, purple, red, orange, yellow and brown, either mottled or solid.

[2] The genus of this species has transitioned back and forth between Asterina and Patiria since its inclusion in Fisher's 1911 North Pacific Asteroidea monograph.

[5] However, recent revisions based on molecular systematics have constrained Asterina and identified Patiria as a complex of three closely related species in the Pacific, including P. miniata, P. pectinifera in Asia and P. chilensis in South America.

The male casts sperm and the female drops eggs; each has pores at the base of the rays for this purpose.

[2][3] Bat stars are important as detritivores and scavengers, collecting algae and dead animals from the ocean floor.