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Species
Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758)
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EOL Text
In Panama this species occurs in the Gulf of Chiriqui but not the Gulf of Panama. It has been collected from Contreras Island (USNM E 14042, USNM E 11729; Centroid Latitude: 7.82, Centroid Longitude:-81.7750), from a depth of 2 to 8 m, and from Secas Island (USNM E 14043), from a depth of 10 m, Gulf of Chiriqui, eastern Pacific.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Coppard , Simon, Coppard , Simon, The Echinoderms of Panama |
| Source | http://echinoderms.lifedesks.org/pages/3901 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 240
Specimens with Barcodes: 245
Species With Barcodes: 1
Acanthaster planci bears between 8 and 21 arms that radiate from a central disc. Adults normally range from 250 to 350 mm in diameter, with some individuals over 700 mm in diameter. The mouth is located on the underside of the central disc (the aboral surface), and light-sensitive eyespots are present at the tips of the arms. Individual coloration varies from red and orange to purple, and is thought to be the result of differences in diet. The interior of the body contains the internal organs (stomach, digestive gland, and gonads). The skeletal structure is composed of tiny structures called ossicles, made of magnesium calcite. Acanthaster planci possesses large, venomous spines in contrast to the short, blunt spines usually present on starfish. The venomous quality of these spines is not fully understood; saponin has been discovered in the spines’ underlying tissue, though the quantity is not sufficient to trigger the painful reactions seen in humans who have come into contact with the spines. There is no evidence that A. planci injects toxins through the spines.
Range length: 700 (high) mm.
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; radial symmetry ; venomous
Sexual Dimorphism: sexes alike
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| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Acanthaster_planci/ |
This species is not listed under any conservation program.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
State of Michigan List: no special status
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Acanthaster_planci/ |
Colour in life: deep brown above with deep red tips to spines, tube feet fawn (Humphreys, 1981). Associated with live coral beds, sometimes taking shelter under stones close to the live colonies (Sastry, 1991). Also distributed in Gilbert Islands, Tuamotus, New Caledonia (Clark, 1954); SE Arabia, W India, Pakistan, Maldive area, Ceylon, Bay of Bengal, East Indies, north Australia, Philippine, China, south Japan, South Pacific Is. and Hawaiian Is. (Clark & Rowe, 1971); Australia (Rowe & Gates, 1995); Lakshadweep (India)(Sastry, 1991). General distribution: tropical, Indo-Pacific region, depth range 0-30 m. (Rowe & Gates, 1995); East coast of Africa to Hawaiian Islands (Sastry, 1991). Ecology: benthic, reef (Rowe & Gates, 1995).
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| Rights holder/Author | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License |
| Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=213289 |
Crown-of-thorns starfish are always hungry for coral and can devour entire colonies, leaving nothing remaining but a patchy white coral skeleton. Just one of these starfish can eat 13 square miles (33.7 sq km) of coral a year! Preventing starfish feeding from causing too much damage to coral reefs is a hot topic in research today.
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| Rights holder/Author | Text can be freely copied and altered, as long as original author and source are properly acknowledged. |
| Source | http://j.whyville.net/smmk/reef/journalFishDetails?id=43 |
Bell, F.J. (1909). Report on the echinodermata (other than holothurians) collected by Mr J. Stanley Gardiner in the Western parts of the Indian Ocean. Transactions of the Linnean Society Second series 13: 17-20.
Clark, A.M. (1993). An index of names of recent Asteroidea, part 2: Valvatida, in: Jangoux, M.; Lawrence, J.M. (Ed.) (1993). Echinoderm Studies, 4: pp. 187-366
Clark, A.M. and F.W.E. Rowe. (1971). Monograph of Shallow-water Indo-West Pacific Echinoderms. Trustees of the British Museum (Natural History): London.
Rowe, F.W.E & Gates, J. (1995). Zoological Catalogue of Australia 33. Echinodermata. Melbourne: CSIRO Australia, 510 pp.
C. Vogler, J. Benzie, H.A. Lessios , P. Barber and G. Wörheide. 2008. A threat to coral reefs multiplied? Four species of crown-of-thorns starfish. Biol. Lett. 4: 696-699.
| LSID | urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:213289 |
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Coppard , Simon, Coppard , Simon, The Echinoderms of Panama |
| Source | http://echinoderms.lifedesks.org/pages/3901 |
Much research has been conducted on the grazing effects of A. planci on coral reef cover and survival. Large populations of these starfish can devastate a reef, which has occurred on the Great Barrier Reef. Furthermore, after live coral cover has been reduced, both juvenile and sub-adult starfish preferentially choose to feed on newly-formed hard coral, which significantly impacts the coral recovery process. Surveys conducted since the early 1990’s have illustrated the decline in live hard coral cover coincident with crown-of-thorns outbreaks along the reef systems between Lizard Island and Townsville (coastal Queensland, Australia). Researchers have emphasized the importance of raising public awareness of these continually increasing outbreaks, since starfish predation on coral can seriously damage the reefs to the point where sustainability of the lucrative reef tourism industry could be impacted. To protect these reefs as well as the people who depend on them for their economic livelihood, researchers need to determine how human activities affect the cycle of starfish outbreaks. Specifically, more research needs to be conducted on the effects of overfishing known predators of A. planci, and on how increased nutrient runoff from land affects survival, recruitment, and growth of larval A. planci.
Negative Impacts: injures humans (bites or stings, venomous )
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Acanthaster_planci/ |
Acanthaster echinites (Ellis & Solander, 1786) (synonym according to Verrill (1914))
Acanthaster echinus Gervais, 1841 (Synonym according to Fisher (1919))
Acanthaster ellisi (Gray, 1840)
Acanthaster mauritiensis de Loriol, 1885 (Synonym according to Madsen (1955))
Acanthaster pseudoplanci Caso, 1962
Acanthaster solaris Schreber, 1793 (Synonym according to Madsen (1955))
Asterias echinites Ellis & Solander, 1786 (Synonym according to Verrill (1914))
Asterias echinus Verrill, 1914
Asterias planci Linnaeus, 1758
Asterias solaris Schreber, 1793 (Synonym according to Madsen (1955))
Stellonia echinites L. Agassiz, 1836 (synonym according to Verrill (1914))
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Coppard , Simon, Coppard , Simon, The Echinoderms of Panama |
| Source | http://echinoderms.lifedesks.org/pages/3901 |
There are no known economic benefits for humans.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
| Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Acanthaster_planci/ |