[Coral-List] Can Blue Sea Stars Eat Giant Clams?
John Ware
jware at erols.com
Tue May 10 15:18:45 EDT 2011
As an interesting, and probably not true, anecdote:
About 45 years ago or so I was very interested in salt water aquaria.
At that time, no one could figure out how to keep Linckia alive. As I
recall it, an article appeared in one of the prominent publications of
the time, that a frustrated aquarist, in total disgust, threw his peanut
butter sandwich into his aquarium.
Of course, Linckia immediately jumped on it and consumed the peanut butter.
Well, it's a good story anyway.
John
Gordon Hendler wrote:
>Regarding Lucy's question about Blue Sea Stars:
>Even fairly small "giant clams" are not likely the prey of Blue Sea
>Stars. Linckia laevigata has been reported to feed on coralline alga,
>rarely on corals, and (possibly) on coral mucus. However, reliable
>observations indicate that it actually subsists on microscopic organisms
>and detritus associated with the biofilms coating hard substrates. One
>relevant study is readily available on the Web at
>http://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/handle/10125/1178/v31n1-1
>3-30.pdf?sequence=1.
>
>***********************************
>Gordon Hendler, Ph.D.
>Curator of Echinoderms
>Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County
>900 Exposition Boulevard
>Los Angeles, California 90007
>U.S.A.
>hendler at nhm.org
>
>Message: 1
>Date: Thu, 5 May 2011 13:30:56 -0700
>From: Lucy Marcus <lucymarcus at gmail.com>
>Subject: [Coral-List] Can Blue Sea Stars Eat Giant Clams?
>To: coral-list at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>Message-ID: <BANLkTimYdky6YuswSzb4s21gUij5-3kJCw at mail.gmail.com>
>Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
>
>Dear Esteemed Coral Listers,
>
>I am editing and educational science documentary about an MPA in
>Zanzibar
>and need to make sure I am including the correct information from my
>interview. Do any echinoderm or molluscan specialists know if the blue
>sea
>star Linckia leavigata can eat small giant clams (Tridacna mazima or T.
>squamosa)?
>
>Thanks for your help, Lucy Marcus
>
><>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <>< <><
>Lucy Marcus MS
>lucymarcus at gmail.com
>http://www.worldenvironmentalfilms.com
>_______________________________________________
>Coral-List mailing list
>Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
>http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>
>
>
--
*************************************************************
* *
* John R. Ware, PhD *
* President *
* SeaServices, Inc. *
* 19572 Club House Road *
* Montgomery Village, MD, 20886, USA *
* 301 987-8507 *
* jware at erols.com *
* http://www.seaservices.org *
* fax: 301 987-8531 *
* *
* Member of the Council: *
* International Society for Reef Studies *
* _ *
* | *
* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ *
* _|_ *
* | _ | *
* _______________________________| |________ *
* |\/__ Untainted by Technology \ *
* |/\____________________________________________/ *
*************************************************************
If you are a coral-reef scientist and you are not a member
of the International Society for Reef Studies, then
shame on you.
Become a member of the International Society for Reef Studies
http://www.coralreefs.org
More information about the Coral-List
mailing list