Split off from the Spotted Nautstar, the Striped Nautstar continued the trend of getting larger to feed on larger microorganisms. Genetic drift caused its ancestor's spots to become stripes. It is otherwise identical; it swims using wide, flat diamond-shaped lobes which are also lined with baits for capturing cells and detritus, it has eyes at the end of each tentacle for detecting predators, and it is able to retreat into its shell when threatened.