Leptasterias

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Leptasterias
Nucella lima 001.jpg
The whelk Nucella lima being attacked by Leptasterias hexactis
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Asteroidea
Order: Forcipulatida
Family: Asteriidae
Genus: Leptasterias
Verrill, 1866 [1]
Species

See text

Leptasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. Members of this genus are characterised by having six arms although five-armed specimens sometimes occur. L. muelleri is the type species. The taxonomy of the genus is confusing and Leptasterias hexactis seems to be a species complex. Some species brood their eggs. [2]

Contents

Description and biology

Leptasterias is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae and order Forcipulatida. [3] It is often noted that members in the genus have six arms, [4] however, occasionally five-armed specimen can occur. They are also characterized by having several cryptic species complexes. [5] They are often found in the waters of Alaska to central California in rocky intertidal and subtidal habitats. They are typically small in size, measuring less than 6 cm  from ray tip to ray tip. They mature around the age of two. They are known for being lecithotrophic, [3] providing the embryo with no nutrition other than the yolk in its egg. The females will brood their young under their rays until they have fully developed and are capable of crawling away. [5] Because of the way they are bred and the fact that they are smaller creatures, it is difficult for the sea stars to disperse to new areas. [5] Rather than crawling long distances, the sea stars will attach to macroalgae or other floating organisms and substrate, allowing them to be dispersed farther distances. [5] However, this method of dispersal does not happen frequently. Leptasterias can also be used as an indicator species as they are not very able to move far from their habitat and are susceptible to local selection pressures like algal blooms and disease outbreaks. [5] To do this, it is important to identify the certain species of Leptasterias in order to accurately observe changing distributions, abundances, and population health. The cryptic complexes also play a part in determining data for monitoring ecological effects of disastrous events and other environmental stressors. [5]

Habitat

Leptasterias are found in intertidal waters. They spend their time under rocks or in rock pools where the shore is fairly exposed. [6] Leptasterias can typically be found under rocks during the fall months. During this time, the starfish will reproduce and the rock exterior provides protection for the new brood. [6] During the spring months is when Leptasterias can be found in the rock pools, on the surface of rocks. The rocks that Leptasterias inhabit are covered in algae which also protect the starfish as the algae remains moist and allows the starfish to avoid dehydration. [6] [7] Young are found in the rocky substrates in the shallow water while adults usually venture out to greater depths. [8] [9] They can withstand depths up to 800 meters and can be found globally in the North Sea below Norway, the North Atlantic between Iceland and Greenland, and the northeast coast and Pacific coast of The United States. [7] [10]

Reproduction

The reproduction period for Leptasterias begins around the months of October or November and lasts until January. [11] During this time, it is important for the starfish to be beneath rocks due to the possibility of the tide to disperse the sperm elsewhere. [6] [12] Leptasterias do not partake in actual sexual intercourse, but it is essential for the starfish to be in close proximity of each other to better ensure reproductive success. The males ten gonads release sperm that settles on the bottom, beneath the rock. The male spawning period lasts for about 2 hours in order to ensure there are viable sperm present for the female eggs. Females begin releasing eggs through their ten genital papillae. The eggs come out yellow and yolky at a rate of approximately one egg per minute. [6] [13] Once in contact with the sperm, the female then takes the eggs with her tube feet and forms a brood pouch by arching her arms to provide a protective space to place her eggs. [6] Leptasterias do not go through a larval stage. Instead, the embryos develop and leave the mother after the first three pairs of tube feet have appeared. [7] The mother usually protects her young for five to six months. [14]

Species

The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species: [1]

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<i>Asterias</i> Genus of starfishes

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteriidae</span> Family of starfishes

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<i>Leptasterias hexactis</i> Species of starfish

Leptasterias hexactis is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae, commonly known as the six-rayed star. It is found in the intertidal zone of the western seaboard of the United States. It is a predator and is unusual among starfish in that it broods its eggs and young.

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<i>Evasterias troschelii</i> Species of starfish

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<i>Leptasterias tenera</i> Species of starfish

Leptasterias tenera is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found on the eastern coast of North America.

<i>Leptasterias polaris</i> Species of starfish

Leptasterias polaris, the polar six-rayed star, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in cold waters in the northwest Atlantic Ocean and in polar regions.

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<i>Leptasterias muelleri</i> Species of starfish

Leptasterias muelleri, the northern starfish, is a species of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is found in the Arctic Ocean and the northern Atlantic Ocean. It is a predator and scavenger and is unusual among starfish in that it broods its young.

<i>Mediaster</i> Genus of starfishes

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References

  1. 1 2 Mah, Christopher (2010). "Leptasterias Verrill, 1866". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2012-02-03.
  2. ↑ Lambert, Philip (2001). Sea stars of British Columbia, Southeast Alaska, and Puget Sound. UBC Press. pp. 117–126. ISBN   9780774808255.
  3. 1 2 Foltz, D. W.; Nguyen, A. T.; Kiger, J. R.; Mah, C. L. (2008-03-18). "Pleistocene speciation of sister taxa in a North Pacific clade of brooding sea stars (Leptasterias)". Marine Biology. 154 (3): 593–602. doi:10.1007/s00227-008-0952-9. ISSN   0025-3162. S2CID   37515531.
  4. ↑ Shirley, T. C.; Stickle, W. B. (1982). "Responses of Leptasterias hexactis (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) to low salinity". Marine Biology. 69 (2): 155–163. doi:10.1007/bf00396895. ISSN   0025-3162. S2CID   87024550.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Melroy, Laura M.; Cohen, C. Sarah (2021-03-04). "Temporal and spatial variation in population structure among brooding sea stars in the genus Leptasterias". Ecology and Evolution. 11 (7): 3313–3331. doi:10.1002/ece3.7283. ISSN   2045-7758. PMC   8019026 . PMID   33841786.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 O'BRIEN, FRANCIS (1972-01-01). "SOME ASPECTS OF THE BIOLOGY OF A BROODING STARFISH, LEPTASTERIAS LITTORALIS (STIMPSON) 1853". Doctoral Dissertations.
  7. 1 2 3 "MarLIN - The Marine Life Information Network - Northern starfish (Leptasterias (Leptasterias) muelleri)". www.marlin.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-04-13.
  8. ↑ Rochette, R; Hamel, J-F; Himmelman, JH (1994). "Foraging strategy of the asteroid Leptasterias polaris: role of prey odors, current and feeding status". Marine Ecology Progress Series. 106: 93–100. doi: 10.3354/meps106093 . ISSN   0171-8630.
  9. ↑ Gaymer, Carlos F.; Himmelman, John H.; Johnson, Ladd E. (October 2001). "Distribution and feeding ecology of the seastars Leptasterias polaris and Asterias vulgaris in the northern Gulf of St Lawrence, Canada". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 81 (5): 827–843. doi:10.1017/S0025315401004660. ISSN   0025-3154. S2CID   85646455.
  10. ↑ Hrincevich, Adam W.; Rocha-Olivares, Axayácatl; Foltz, David W. (June 2000). "Phylogenetic Analysis of Molecular Lineages in a Species-Rich Subgenus of Sea Stars (Leptasterias Subgenus Hexasterias)". American Zoologist. 40 (3): 365–374. doi:10.1093/icb/40.3.365. ISSN   0003-1569.
  11. ↑ Menge, Bruce A. (1975). "Brood or broadcast? The adaptive significance of different reproductive strategies in the two intertidal sea stars Leptasterias hexactis and Pisaster ochraceus". Marine Biology. 31 (1): 87–100. doi:10.1007/bf00390651. ISSN   0025-3162. S2CID   67800760.
  12. ↑ CHIA, FU-SHIANG (June 1966). "Brooding Behavior of a Six-Rayed Starfish, Leptasterias hexactis". The Biological Bulletin. 130 (3): 304–315. doi:10.2307/1539738. ISSN   0006-3185. JSTOR   1539738.
  13. ↑ "V. Skeletal development in Arbacia, Echinarachnius and Leptasterias". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Containing Papers of a Biological Character. 217 (440–449): 289–334. January 1929. doi: 10.1098/rstb.1929.0005 . ISSN   0264-3960.
  14. ↑ Hamel, J. F.; Mercier, A. (February 1995). "Prespawning Behavior, Spawning, and Development of the Brooding Starfish Leptasterias polaris". The Biological Bulletin. 188 (1): 32–45. doi:10.2307/1542065. ISSN   0006-3185. JSTOR   1542065. PMID   29281304.
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