[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
>
>  
>

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