Reef starfish
| Reef starfish | |
|---|---|
| File:Starfish orgy (Stichaster australis).jpg | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | |
| Phylum: | |
| Class: | |
| Order: | |
| Family: | |
| Genus: | |
| Species: |
S. australis
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stichaster australis (Verrill, 1871)
|
|
Lua error in Module:Taxonbar/candidate at line 22: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Reef starfish (Stichaster australis) is a species of starfish found in the South Pacific Ocean around New Zealand. A keystone species, the carnivorous starfish plays an important part in reducing the expansion of mussels.
Description
S. australis is pink or purple in color,[1] with 11 arms.[2]
Ecological impact
Found throughout New Zealand, S. australis is a keystone species in both the North and South Islands, playing an important role in mussel predation.[2][3] In one study on the west coast of the South Island conducted in the 1970s, S. australis was found to have removed a majority of transplanted mussels within two or three months of their placement, while the mussels expanded within six months to cover 20-30% of the low zone when S. australis was removed.[3] Without their predation, the mussels overwhelmed the area, threatening biodiversity.[4][5]
The juveniles of the species are detritivores.[6]
External links
- Stichaster australis (Verrill), Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History
- Stichaster australis (Verrill, 1871), World Register of Marine Species
References
<templatestyles src="Reflist/styles.css" />
Cite error: Invalid <references> tag; parameter "group" is allowed only.
<references />, or <references group="..." /><templatestyles src="Asbox/styles.css"></templatestyles>
 |
This article about a starfish is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
.jpg){kind=link}
_doing_push-ups.jpg){kind=link}