[2] The aboral surface has a distinctive reddish orange colour and is covered with thick paxillae.

The arms are long, slender, and tapering, each with a dark, purplish-grey contrasting stripe, running from the centre of the body to the tip.

Life cycle: Embryos hatch into planktonic larvae and later metamorphose into pentamerous juveniles which develop into young sea stars with stubby arms.

This species is found in the seas of Japan, and along the western coast of the United States, from central California, to as far north as Alaska.

[4] Solaster stimpsoni usually lives on rocky surfaces in the subtidal, and occasionally the low inter-tidal zones, at depths from 0 to 610 meters.