Keoki & Yuko Okano Stender, Hawaii
Info
Coscinasterias acutispina is a starfish that keeps scientists busy. It has the ability to split into two parts, which is why you often see animals in the sea with a few long arms and several small arms that are just growing back.
The starfish has four rows of tube feet and is able to move relatively quickly.
Coscinasterias acutispina is widespread in the Pacific, but is not considered a common species. During the day, the starfish likes to stay under stones in shallow water.
Food:
Ergalatax contracta (Reeve, 1846) (spiny snail)
Reishia clavigera (Küster, 1860) (rock snail)
Reishia luteostoma (Holten, 1802) (rock snail)
Semiricinula tissoti (Petit de la Saussaye, 1852) (Spiny snail)
Siphonaria atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 (limpet)
Tenguella musiva (Kiener, 1835) (Rock snail)
In the sea, it's all about eating and being eaten; the starfish's favorite food includes mussels, which have "come up with a biological measure" to prevent being eaten.
Previous studies investigating the predation of mussels by the starfish Coscinasterias acutispina, Asterias rubensand Heliaster helianthus indicate that an increase in the number of byssal threads and filament count and the strength of attachment has little effect on the presence of starfish and does not cause changes in byssogenesis
Mussels are able to differentiate between chemical predators and trigger a different response accordingly.
In particular, for predators that use crushing methods after removing the mussels from the substrate (e.g. crabs), the strength of the byssal threads
leads to improved attachment.
In contrast, predators that pull apart the valves of the mussels (e.g. starfish) have no influence on the strength of the attachment!
Since starfish do not remove the mussels from the substrate before eating them, but break open the valves to digest the soft parts, the increased adhesive force does not provide effective protection.
Food:
Ergalatax contracta (Reeve, 1846) (spiny snail)
Reishia clavigera (Küster, 1860) (rock snail)
Reishia luteostoma (Holten, 1802) (rock snail)
Semiricinula tissoti (Petit de la Saussaye, 1852) (Spiny snail)
Siphonaria atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 (limpet)
Tenguella musiva (Kiener, 1835) (Rock snail)
Synonyms:
Asterias acutispina Stimpson, 1862
Coscinasterias (Stolasterias) acutispina (Stimpson, 1862)
Stolasterias acutispina (Stimpson, 1862)
The starfish has four rows of tube feet and is able to move relatively quickly.
Coscinasterias acutispina is widespread in the Pacific, but is not considered a common species. During the day, the starfish likes to stay under stones in shallow water.
Food:
Ergalatax contracta (Reeve, 1846) (spiny snail)
Reishia clavigera (Küster, 1860) (rock snail)
Reishia luteostoma (Holten, 1802) (rock snail)
Semiricinula tissoti (Petit de la Saussaye, 1852) (Spiny snail)
Siphonaria atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 (limpet)
Tenguella musiva (Kiener, 1835) (Rock snail)
In the sea, it's all about eating and being eaten; the starfish's favorite food includes mussels, which have "come up with a biological measure" to prevent being eaten.
Previous studies investigating the predation of mussels by the starfish Coscinasterias acutispina, Asterias rubensand Heliaster helianthus indicate that an increase in the number of byssal threads and filament count and the strength of attachment has little effect on the presence of starfish and does not cause changes in byssogenesis
Mussels are able to differentiate between chemical predators and trigger a different response accordingly.
In particular, for predators that use crushing methods after removing the mussels from the substrate (e.g. crabs), the strength of the byssal threads
leads to improved attachment.
In contrast, predators that pull apart the valves of the mussels (e.g. starfish) have no influence on the strength of the attachment!
Since starfish do not remove the mussels from the substrate before eating them, but break open the valves to digest the soft parts, the increased adhesive force does not provide effective protection.
Food:
Ergalatax contracta (Reeve, 1846) (spiny snail)
Reishia clavigera (Küster, 1860) (rock snail)
Reishia luteostoma (Holten, 1802) (rock snail)
Semiricinula tissoti (Petit de la Saussaye, 1852) (Spiny snail)
Siphonaria atra Quoy & Gaimard, 1833 (limpet)
Tenguella musiva (Kiener, 1835) (Rock snail)
Synonyms:
Asterias acutispina Stimpson, 1862
Coscinasterias (Stolasterias) acutispina (Stimpson, 1862)
Stolasterias acutispina (Stimpson, 1862)
