The Indian sea star is one of the most elegant sea stars found on tropical reefs. Its flattened body consists of a pentagonal central disc surrounded by five triangular arms that taper to slightly rounded tips. Its coloration is generally orange-red, crossed by a fine network of dark lines that form a mosaic-like pattern.

In many individuals, the tips of the arms are darker, while the underside is lighter and bears numerous tube feet used for locomotion and feeding. Adults most often measure between 3 and 4 inches in diameter, although some specimens can reach up to about 6 inches.

The Indian sea star is found in the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific, from the Andaman islands and Sri Lanka to Fiji, including the Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, New Caledonia and Palau. It is also found south of Japan and on Australia's Great Barrier Reef.

The Indian sea star mainly inhabits lagoons, reef flats and the outer slopes of coral reefs. It occurs on a variety of substrates, including sand, coral rubble and rocks covered with encrusting algae.

The Indian sea star is most often found from the surface to depths of around 66 feet, where it moves slowly in search of food while remaining closely associated with coral reef ecosystems.

The Indian sea star is an opportunistic omnivore that feeds mainly on resources available on the reef surface. It consumes organic detritus, microalgae and small benthic invertebrates living on rocks and corals.

Like many sea stars, it can also evert its stomach and digest certain organisms outside its body before absorbing the nutrients, an efficient feeding strategy common among sea stars.

Like most sea stars, the Indian sea star primarily reproduces sexually. Males and females simultaneously release their gametes into the water, where fertilization takes place. The eggs then develop into planktonic larvae that drift for several weeks before settling on the seafloor and metamorphosing into young five-armed sea stars.

The species also has a remarkable ability to regenerate, allowing it to regrow an arm lost as a result of injury or a predator attack.