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The Northern Pacific seastar is considered a serious pest of native marine organisms in Australia, and is a major factor in the decline of the critically endangered spotted handfish. It preys on the handfish eggs, and/or on the sea squirts (ascidians) [ 1 ] that help to form the substrate that the fish spawn on. [ 2 ]
The 1972 plague was the first notable case of Sea Star Wasting Disease. [17] Scientists noticed a rapidly declining population of common starfish (Asterias rubens) occurring off the east coast of the United States. [18] The symptoms were that the starfish became limp and lost limbs until finally melting into a white mucus-like paste. [17] [19]
Coscinasterias calamaria is the largest starfish in southern Australia and New Zealand. Although called the eleven-armed sea star there can be any number of arms between seven and fourteen, but eleven is the most common number. These starfish are often found with arms of varying lengths.
The crown-of-thorns starfish (frequently abbreviated to COTS), [1] 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 thornlike spines that cover its upper surface, resembling the biblical crown of thorns. It is one of the largest ...
The cushion sea star is found in the intertidal zone of Australian coasts from Western Australia's south coast to Queensland's coast off Currumbin, while including Tasmania, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. This sea star species favours rocky coasts abiding both in tide pools and to a maximum depth of 3 meters below sea level.
Luidia australiae is native to the waters around southern Australia and New Zealand. It is found on reefs, in seagrass meadows , and semi-buried in sand at depths of up to 110 metres (360 ft). It is sometimes washed ashore after storms.
It can be found in temperate intertidal marine communities from geographically widespread sites around the southern hemisphere (including South Africa and Australia). [ 2 ] Description
A marine parasite expert stated that the starfish was an important member of the marine community and that if it were removed, marine biodiversity in the area would be threatened. [ 5 ] In a study published in 2013, Ochitophrya stellarum, the parasitic ciliate, was discovered in 2007 in the tissues of blue crabs.