''Choriaster'' is

monotypic In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unisp ...

genus in the family

Oreasteridae The Oreasteridae are a family of sea stars in the class Starfish, Asteroidea. Description and characteristics This family contains many species of regular starfishes with usually 5 arms around a stiff, convex and often brightly colored body. W ...

containing the single species ''Choriaster granulatus'' commonly known as the granulated sea star. Other common names include big-plated sea star, Hunter-five Seastar and doughboy starfish. This species is harmless to humans.

Description

''Choriaster granulatus'' is a large sea star with a convex body and five short arms. The arms have rounded tips, making it appear "phallic", leading to one of its

common name In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...

s being "the doughboy starfish". Relatively large in comparison with other sea stars, its maximum radius is about . It is most commonly pale pink in colour with brown papillae radiating out from the centre but can also be colours ranging from grey to yellow and even red.

Location

This species is found in numerous tropical waters, including: *

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

Choriaster granulatus, granular sea star
/ref> *

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

region *

Great Barrier Reef The Great Barrier Reef is the world's largest coral reef system, composed of over 2,900 individual reefs and 900 islands stretching for over over an area of approximately . The reef is located in the Coral Sea, off the coast of Queensland, ...

Red Sea The Red Sea is a sea inlet of the Indian Ocean, lying between Africa and Asia. Its connection to the ocean is in the south, through the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait and the Gulf of Aden. To its north lie the Sinai Peninsula, the Gulf of Aqaba, and th ...

Vanuatu Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

Papua New Guinea Papua New Guinea, officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is an island country in Oceania that comprises the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and offshore islands in Melanesia, a region of the southwestern Pacific Ocean n ...

Habitat

''Choriaster granulatus'' prefers shallow waters ranging from deep and above average temperatures of . ''Choriaster granulatus'' has been found individually or in groups along coral reefs in the Indo-West Pacific region. It has also been found in the Red Sea, Fiji, and Great Barrier Reef. The sandy habitat where it tends to live is characterized by rubble slopes and detritus. They have also been found among corals and sponges. Choriaster granulatus 03

Diet

''Choriaster granulatus'' is a carnivore that, like other sea stars, has its mouth on the underside of its body. Food is digested and absorbed outside of its body by forcing its stomach out of its mouth onto the food. Its food includes small invertebrates such as coral polyps as well as

carrion Carrion (), also known as a carcass, is the decaying flesh of dead animals. Overview Carrion is an important food source for large carnivores and omnivores in most ecosystems. Examples of carrion-eaters (or scavengers) include crows, vultures ...

Life cycle and reproduction

Sea star embryos hatch into

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms that drift in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) but are unable to actively propel themselves against ocean current, currents (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are ca ...

ic larvae before becoming juvenile sea stars with five arms. The

Asteroidea Starfish or sea stars are star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to as brittle stars or basket stars. Starfish ...

class of organisms reproduce both asexually and sexually.

Threats

The arms of ''Choriaster granulatus'' can become deformed when small parasitic

limpet Limpets are a group of aquatic snails with a conical gastropod shell, shell shape (patelliform) and a strong, muscular foot. This general category of conical shell is known as "patelliform" (dish-shaped). Existing within the class Gastropoda, ...

s attach to their underside. They are also threatened by habitat loss due to

ocean acidification Ocean acidification is the ongoing decrease in the pH of the Earth's ocean. Between 1950 and 2020, the average pH of the ocean surface fell from approximately 8.15 to 8.05. Carbon dioxide emissions from human activities are the primary cause of ...

which can lead to

coral bleaching Coral bleaching is the process when corals become white due to loss of Symbiosis, symbiotic algae and Photosynthesis, photosynthetic pigments. This loss of pigment can be caused by various stressors, such as changes in water temperature, light, ...

References

External links

* Oreasteridae Starfish described in 1842 Asteroidea genera Monotypic echinoderm genera Taxa named by Christian Frederik Lütken {{Asteroidea-stub