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''Linckia laevigata'' (sometimes called the "blue ''Linckia''" or blue star) is a species of
sea star Starfish or sea stars are Star polygon, star-shaped echinoderms belonging to the class (biology), class Asteroidea (). Common usage frequently finds these names being also applied to brittle star, ophiuroids, which are correctly referred to ...
in the shallow waters of tropical
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 ...
.


Description and characteristics

The variation ("polymorphism", in this case, a "
color morph Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absor ...
") most commonly found is pure blue, dark blue, or light blue, although observers find the aqua, purple, or orange variation throughout the ocean. These sea stars may grow up to in diameter, with rounded tips at each of the arms; some individuals may bear lighter or darker spots along each of their arms. Individual specimens are typically firm in texture, possessing the slightly tubular, elongated arms common to most of other members of the
family Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
Ophidiasteridae, and usually possessing short, yellowish
tube feet Tube or tubes may refer to: * Tube (2003 film), ''Tube'' (2003 film), a 2003 Korean film * "Tubes" (Peter Dale), performer on the Soccer AM#Tubes, Soccer AM television show * Tube (band), a Japanese rock band * Tube & Berger, the alias of dance/e ...
. An inhabitant of
coral reef A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in group ...
s and
sea grass Seagrasses are the only flowering plants which grow in marine (ocean), marine environments. There are about 60 species of fully marine seagrasses which belong to four Family (biology), families (Posidoniaceae, Zosteraceae, Hydrocharitaceae and ...
beds, this species is relatively common and is typically found in sparse density throughout its range. Blue stars live
subtidal The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminate ...
ly, or sometimes
intertidal The intertidal zone or foreshore is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide; in other words, it is the part of the littoral zone within the tidal range. This area can include several types of habitats with various sp ...
ly, on fine (sand) or hard substrata and move relatively slowly (mean locomotion rate of 8.1 cm/min). The genus ''Linckia'', as is true of other species of starfish, is recognized by scientists as being possessed of remarkable regenerative capabilities, and endowed with powers of defensive
autotomy Autotomy (from the Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", αὐτοτομία) or 'self-amputation', is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards an appendage, usually as a self-defense mechanism to elude a predator's grasp ...
against predators: Although not yet documented, ''L. laevigata'' may be able to reproduce asexually, as does the related species '' Linckia multifora'' (another denizen of tropical seas, but of differing coloration, i.e., pink or reddish mottled with white and yellow, which has been observed reproducing asexually in captivity). ''Linckia multifora'' produces 'comets', or separated arms, from the mother individual; these offspring proceed to grow four tiny stubs of arms ready for growth to maturity. ''L. laevigata'' is apparently not an exception to this behavior, as many individuals observed in nature are missing arms or, on occasion, in the comet form. Some species of other reef inhabitants prey on this species of sea star. Various
pufferfish Tetraodontidae is a family of marine and freshwater fish in the order Tetraodontiformes. The family includes many familiar species variously called pufferfish, puffers, balloonfish, blowfish, blowers, blowies, bubblefish, globefish, swellfis ...
es, '' Charonia'' species (triton shells), harlequin shrimp, and even some
sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...
s have been observed to eat whole or parts of the sea stars. The Blue Linckia is also prone to parasitization by a species of the parasitic gastropod '' Thyca crystallina''.
Commensal Commensalism is a long-term biological interaction (symbiosis) in which members of one species gain benefits while those of the other species neither benefit nor are harmed. This is in contrast with mutualism, in which both organisms benefit f ...
associations sometimes play part on this echinoderm's life; animals such as '' Periclimenes'' shrimp are sometimes found commensally on the oral or aboral surface of the animal, picking up mucus and detritus. This sea star is fairly popular with marine aquarium
hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing other ...
ists, where it requires a proper, slow
acclimatization Acclimatization or acclimatisation ( also called acclimation or acclimatation) is the process in which an individual organism adjusts to a change in its environment (such as a change in altitude, temperature, humidity, photoperiod, or pH), ...
before entering the tank system, and an adequate food source similar to that found in its natural habitat. Generally thought of as a
detritivore Detritivores (also known as detrivores, detritophages, detritus feeders or detritus eaters) are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus (decomposing plant and animal parts as well as feces). There are many kinds of invertebrates, ...
, many sources maintain that this species will indefinitely graze throughout the aquarium for organic films or sedentary, low-growing organisms such as
sponges Sponges or sea sponges are primarily marine invertebrates of the animal phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), a basal clade and a sister taxon of the diploblasts. They are sessile filter feeders that are bound to the seabed, and ar ...
and
algae Algae ( , ; : alga ) is an informal term for any organisms of a large and diverse group of photosynthesis, photosynthetic organisms that are not plants, and includes species from multiple distinct clades. Such organisms range from unicellular ...
. In the marine aquarium hobby, they have been seen to consume Asterina Starfish, which are commonly introduced into such aquaria on the ubiquitous "live rock" used in such settings. In 2021 pictures surfaced on
Reddit Reddit ( ) is an American Proprietary software, proprietary social news news aggregator, aggregation and Internet forum, forum Social media, social media platform. Registered users (commonly referred to as "redditors") submit content to the ...
of a linckia eating an Asternia it takes roughly 45 mins to fully devour the starfish. It's a worthy pest control depending on how abundant the food source is, as well as such factors as the conditions of shipping, acclimatization, and water quality, this species has been kept in captivity with variable success. This species has yet to be bred in captivity for sustainable harvest. This species has long been a staple of the sea-shell trade, which involves marketing dried sea star tests (skeletons) for curios or decoration. Some regions of their habitat have seen significant population decrease due to the continuous harvesting by the sea-shell and tourism industries.


Gallery

File:Aguirangan Blue Sea Stars.jpg, In Aguirangan Island, Philippines File:Blue Star Fish (6244737028).jpg, In Bali File:Linckia laevigata x2.jpg, In some places non-blue color morphs can be frequent, such as pink (here in
Mayotte Mayotte ( ; , ; , ; , ), officially the Department of Mayotte (), is an Overseas France, overseas Overseas departments and regions of France, department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It is one of the Overseas departm ...
) File:Reef4075 - Flickr - NOAA Photo Library.jpg, 4-armed specimen File:Starfish Nirwana Beach Wakatobi South East Sulawesi.jpg, Thick blue starfish at
Wakatobi National Park Wakatobi National Park is a marine national park in Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. It was established in 2002. The name of Wakatobi is a portmanteau of the four main Tukangbesi Islands: Wangi-wangi, Kaledupa, Tomia, and Binongko. Since 2005 t ...
, 2017


See also

* '' Leptasterias pusilla''


References

* Shimek R.L.; Marine Invertebrates: 500+ Essential-to-Know Aquarium Species; T.F.H. Publications; New Jersey;


External links


An essay on the biology, taxonomy and captive-keeping by Rob Toonen
* ttps://web.archive.org/web/20060901174659/http://www.edge-of-reef.com/asteroidi/ASTLinckialaevigataen.htm Information about ''Linckias habitat and associationsbr>ReefCorner - Blue Linckia Database Entry
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q882716 laevigata Echinoderms described in 1758 Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus