Dataset: Sunflower star tissue collection metadata from specimens collected in British Columbia, Washington, and California between Mar 2022 and Oct 2025

Tissues from 43 specimens of Pycnopodia helianthoides (urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:240764) were collected using SCUBA (Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus) from reference sites in British Columbia and Washington, and a recruit from Northern California. Specimens were collected between March 2022 and April 2025.

Specimens were located visually during recreational and/or scientific dives and during intertidal research or surveys conducted for other purposes. Tissues (tube feet or arm tips) were collected as incidental products of those dives and research. Tissues were sampled 1) subtidally by clipping tissue using clamps or scissors into a plastic bag while underwater, and then preserved in RNAlater or 100% EtOH when at the surface, or 2) intertidally by clipping tissue using scissors directly into a 2 ml vial of RNAlater or 100% EtOH. RNAlater samples were refrigerated overnight then placed in a -20C freezer. EtOH samples were placed in a -20C freezer.