Blue starfish
| Blue starfish | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Linckia laevigata |
||||||||||||
| Systematics | ||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||
| Scientific name | ||||||||||||
| Linckia laevigata | ||||||||||||
| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The blue starfish ( Linckia laevigata ) lives in the tropical Indo-Pacific , from East Africa to Japan , Hawaii and the islands of the southern Pacific .
features
Blue starfish have a small body and long, thick arms that are round in cross-section. The adults, which reach 30 to 40 centimeters in diameter, are usually bright blue in color. Animals living at greater depths of up to 60 meters are gray, khaki, yellow or pink. Juvenile animals under 5 centimeters arm length usually have a simpler blue-green color. The suckling feet of the adults are yellow, those of the young pale yellow. Usually blue starfish have five arms, but since they often reproduce asexually by division, specimens with fewer arms and with different arm lengths are also seen.
Way of life
Adult blue starfish live diurnally, especially in the sunlight penetrated areas of the coral reefs down to a depth of 20 meters. Young animals live hidden in the reef. Blue starfish feed on detritus , algae, and small invertebrates . In addition to the asexual reproduction already mentioned, echinoderms reproduce sexually by releasing gametes into the water. The parasitic snail Thyca crystallina (family Eulimidae ) is often found on the underside of the animals and feeds on tissue and body fluid of the host with its proboscis.
Aquaristics
Blue starfish are often caught and imported for aquarium keeping. Most of the specimens die after a few months. They are likely to starve to death because they cannot find enough food and the substitute food offered is not accepted.
literature
- Svein A. Fossa, Alf Jacob Nilsen: Coral reef aquarium. Volume 6, Schmettkamp Verlag, 1998, ISBN 3-928819-18-6 .
- Hans A. Baensch , Robert A. Patzner: Mergus sea water atlas. Volume 3, Mergus-Verlag, Melle, ISBN 3-88244-103-8 .
- Helmut Schuhmacher, Johannes Hinterkircher: Lower marine animals. BLV Verlagsgesellschaft 1996, ISBN 3-405-14854-5 .
