| Taxon ID: 181 Total records: 39,143 | ||||||||||||||
Acanthaster planci
Country
| Country | Indonesia |
|---|---|
| Continent Ocean | Asia |
Classification
| Kingdom | Animalia (COL) |
|---|---|
| Phylum | Echinodermata (COL) |
| Class | Asteroidea (COL) |
| Order | Valvatida (COL) |
| Family | Acanthasteridae (SLB) |
Taxonomy
| Genus | Acanthaster | Reference | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SubGenus | Vernacular Name | ||
| Species | planci | IUCN Threat Status-Year | Not Evaluated, 2015 |
| SubSpecies | Nat'l Threat Status-Year | Not Evaluated, 2015 | |
| Infraspecies | Reason for Change | ||
| Infraspecies Rank | CITES | ||
| Taxonomic Group | Echinoderm | Native Status | Invasive |
| Scientific Name Author | (Linnaeus, 1758) | Country Distribution | Indonesia |
| Citation | Description | A voracious predator of corals, the crown of thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) is an unusually large starfish which may grow to more than one metre in diameter (2). Named for the dense covering of long, sharp, venomous spines on the entire upper surface of its body (2) (3) (4), the crown of thorns starfish has amassed a formidable reputation because of its devastating impact on coral reef ecosystems (5). Although it is naturally present on coral reefs, in some years the crown of thorn starfish may undergo huge population ‘booms’. During these outbreaks there may be a ten-fold increase in starfish numbers, causing dramatic damage to the reefs they inhabit (5) (6). A rather flattened sea star, the crown of thorns starfish has between 7 and 23 arms that radiate from a large central disk (7) (8). The disk and arms are covered in a soft, membranous skin, which is armed with hundreds of stout, hinged, elongate spines that may grow to five centimetres in length. Although the body of the crown of thorns has a stiff appearance, it is able to bend and twist to fit around the contours of the corals on which it feeds. The underside of each arm has a series of closely fitting plates which form a groove and extend in rows to the mouth (7). The crown of thorns starfish is highly variable in its colouration, but it is usually brightly coloured above and lighter below (9) (10). | |
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Record Level
Growth Parameters
| Temperature | 0 | Observed Weight | 0 |
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| Sex | Previous Catalog Number | ||
| Life Stage | Relationship Type | ||
| Preparation Type | Related Catalog Item | ||
| Individual Count | 0 | GML Features | |
| Observerd Individual Count | 0 | Notes |
Collecting Event
| Basis Of Record | Observation | Day Collected | 0 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collector Number | Start Day Collected | 0 | |
| Field Number | 0 | End Day Collected | 0 |
| Collector | Julian Day | 0 | |
| Year Collected | 0 | Start Julian Day | 0 |
| Start Year Collected | 0 | End Julian Day | 0 |
| End Year Collected | 0 | Time Of Day | 0 |
| Month Collected | 0 | Start Time Of Day | 0 |
| Start Month Collected | 0 | End Time Of Day | 0 |
| End Month Collected | 0 | Time Zone |
Images
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Additional Info
Synonyms To Manage Synonyms for Acanthaster planci, click this link: Synonyms. |
Acanthaster echinites (Ellis & Solander, 1786) ¦ Acanthaster echinus Gervais, 1841 ¦ Acanthaster ellisi (Gray, 1840) ¦ Acanthaster mauritiensis de Loriol, 1885 ¦ Acanthaster pseudoplanci Caso, 1962 ¦ Acanthaster solaris Schreber, 1793 ¦ Asterias echinites Ellis & Solander, 1786 ¦ Asterias echinus Gervais, 1841 ¦ Asterias planci Linnaeus, 1758 ¦ Asterias solaris Schreber, 1793 ¦ Stellonia echinites L. Agassiz, 1836 ¦ |
Common Names To Manage Common Names for Acanthaster planci, click this link: Common Names. |
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Localities To Manage Localities for Acanthaster planci, click this link: Localities. |
Species Record Updated By:
Carlos Aurelio Callangan
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