| Fromia indica | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Goniasteridae |
| Genus: | Fromia |
| Species: | F. indica |
| Binomial name | |
| Fromia indica (Perrier, 1869) | |
| Synonyms [1] [2] [3] | |
| |
Fromia indica, commonly called Indian sea star or red starfish, is a species of marine starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Fromia indica can reach a diameter of about 7.5 centimetres (3.0 in) to 10 centimetres (3.9 in). When young, it is bright red with black tips (but not always), and can become a duller red at maturity. [4] Some describe it as "red with a fine black mesh [of] interlinked lines.", [5] a characteristic pattern which distinguishes it from the black-spotted sister species Fromia milleporella . Though this sea star normally has five rays, also called arms, some have been found with six, during periods of regeneration. [6]
This species can be found in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, from the Andaman islands as far west as Sri Lanka and as far east as the Fiji Islands. It can also be found as far north as Japan and as far south as Australia. The known range of latitude is between -23.5 and 18.85 degrees. Longitude is between -162 and 178.53 degrees. [1] [4] [7] [8] [9] It is frequently imported for the fish trade via Sri Lanka.
It lives in lagoons and outer reefs on all kinds of substrates at temperatures between 75 °F (24 °C) and 83 °F (28 °C). [4] The animal is found at depths ranging from 1.5 metres (4 ft 11 in) or less to 10 metres (33 ft) or even 25 metres (82 ft). [7] [8] [9]
It feeds on detritus, microalgae, small benthic invertebrates, and other organic matter. It has reportedly eaten "weakened fish on the verge of dying." [4] [5]
The species appears to be safe for reef aquariums. This sea star may be fed small pieces or pellets of seafood such as shrimp or scallop. [4] [5] Though it is familiar to most hobbyists, it is not easy to maintain. This is because it is very sensitive to changes in water chemistry and often succumbs rapidly to bacterial infection due to rough handling, poor acclimatization, and starvation. [10]
In 1921, H. L. Clark described a species of sea star, commonly known as Little red star, as Fromia elegans. [11] In 1938, Engel collected specimens he believed to be F. elegans. Hayashi studied Engel's collection, and finding the specimens to be the same species as Fromia indica, considered the names to be synonymous. In 1971, A. M. Clark believed there were enough differences between some specimens that they should be separate species, and that Engel's 1938 specimens may have been F. indica mistaken for F. elegans. [3] [12] Marsh doubted this in 1977, though she didn't have evidence. Engel's description is now considered a synonym, [1] and informally a forma, [13] of Fromia indica, while H. L. Clark's description is accepted as a full species. [1]
An echinoderm is any member of the phylum Echinodermata. The adults are recognisable by their radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Adult echinoderms are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7,000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes, after the chordates. Echinoderms are the largest entirely marine phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian.
Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea. Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish are also known as asteroids due to being in the class Asteroidea. About 1,900 species of starfish occur on the seabed in all the world's oceans, from warm, tropical zones to frigid, polar regions. They are found from the intertidal zone down to abyssal depths, at 6,000 m (20,000 ft) below the surface.
The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, is a large starfish that preys upon hard, or stony, coral polyps (Scleractinia). The crown-of-thorns starfish receives its name from venomous thorn-like spines that cover its upper surface, resembling the biblical crown of thorns. It is one of the largest starfish in the world.
Linckia laevigata is a species of sea star in the shallow waters of tropical Indo-Pacific.
The Indian threadfish, also known as the Indian threadfin, diamond trevally, mirror fish or plumed trevally, is a large species of coastal marine fish of the jack family, Carangidae. The species is widespread in the waters of the tropical Indo-West Pacific Ocean, ranging from east Africa to India, Asia, Indonesia and Australia. Adult fish tend to inhabit coastal waters over reefs down to 100 m in depth, while juveniles inhabit a variety of environments including estuaries and seagrass beds. The Indian threadfish is similar to the other two species in the genus Alectis, with a slight concavity in the profile of the head the most obvious distinguishing feature. It is a large species, growing to 165 cm and 25 kg in weight. The species is carnivorous, consuming fishes, cephalopods and crustaceans. The Indian threadfish is of minor commercial importance, and has been the subject of aquaculture in Singapore.
Culcita novaeguineae is a species of starfish. It has short arms and an inflated appearance and resembles a pentagonal pincushion. It is variable in colour and can be found in tropical warm waters in the Indo-Pacific.
Culcita schmideliana, commonly known as the spiny cushion star, is a species of pin-cushion star. It has a variety of base colors and often patches of a different color. It is pentagonal in shape and lives in the tropical Indo-Pacific. This species is rarely kept by hobby aquarists.
Fromia monilis, common name necklace starfish or tiled starfish, is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Fromia is a genus of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Aquilonastra conandae is a species of starfish from the family Asterinidae found near the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. It is known for its asexual reproduction and is fissiparous. It is a small starfish, discrete and camouflaged, and occurs in coral reefs in the surf zone of large waves. The species was described in 2006 by Australian marine biologists P. Mark O'Loughlin and Francis Winston Edric Rowe, and gets its name from Chantal Conand.
Fromia elegans, common name little red star, is a species of marine starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Fromia ghardaqana, common name Ghardaqa sea star, is a species of marine starfish in the family Goniasteridae.
Austrofromia polypora, commonly called many-pored sea star or many-spotted seastar, is a species of marine starfish belonging to the family Ophidiasteridae.
Paracorynactis is a genus of corallimorphs from the western Indo-West Pacific. They are specialized predators of echinoderms, and are notable for preying on the destructive crown-of-thorns starfish among others. The genus is monotypic with the single species, Paracorynactis hoplites.
Red starfish is a common name for several starfish and may refer to:
Ailsa McGown Clark (1926-2014) was a British zoologist, who principally studied echinoderms and was a specialist on asteroidea. She worked at the Natural History Museum for most of her career.
Maureen Elizabeth Downey was an American zoologist who worked for three decades at the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. Known as "The Starfish Lady," she was an authority on sea stars and other echinoderms, co-founding the International Echinoderm Conference in 1972. Among her discoveries is Midgardia xandaros, the world's largest starfish.
Helen Elizabeth Shearburn Rotman was a New Zealand expert on echinoderms, specifically starfish.
