Bad starfish??

[no1bubba]

I just purchased a large clam and on the sides are 15 - 20 little itty bitty starfish. They are black in the center and trimmed in white they have various numbers of points. Am I remembering correctly that this is a fake starfish and is not a good thing to have? Thanks, Bubba

 

[jennm]

Not sure what "fake" is about...

Are they Asterina stars? Photo would be helpful.

Most Asterinas are harmless but there is a specie of them that is harmful to corals.

If they're all on the clam I'd probably go ahead and remove them.

Jenn