Acanthaster
| Acanthaster | |
|---|---|
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| Acanthaster planci | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Subkingdom: | Eumetazoa |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Acanthasteridae |
| Genus: | Acanthaster Gervais, 1841[1] |
| Species | |
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Acanthaster is a small genus of large and venomous starfish placed in its own family, Acanthasteridae. Its members are known as crown-of-thorns starfish.
Species
These species are listed in the World Register of Marine Species:[1]
- Acanthaster brevispinus Fisher, 1917
- Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758)
Some sources add Acanthaster ellisi, (Gray, 1840) but it is now considered as a subspecies of A. planci in the eastern Pacific.
Recent molecular work has suggested that Acanthaster planci is a species complex of up to 4 different species that have yet to be separately described (Vogler et. al., 2008).
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A. planci
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A. brevispinus
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Lab hybrid of A. planci and A. brevispinus[1]
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A. p. ellisi
- ^ JS Lucas, « Hybrid crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci X A. brevispinus) reared to maturity in the laboratory », Nature, vol. 263, 1976, p. 409-412 & cover.
References
- 1 2 3 Mah, C. (2012). Acanthaster Gervais, 1841. In: Mah, C.L. (2012). World Asteroidea database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205212 on 2012-03-23
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