Hypsophrys
Member
Probably came on on some gulf rock. For size reference, that's a typical Cerith it's riding.
Anyone seen these before?
Anyone seen these before?
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Starfish hitchhiker ID (not typical Asterina)
- Thread starter Hypsophrys
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Almost looks like a baby cushion star but I honestly have no idea
Hypsophrys
Member
Damn. Maybe I found something new?
There's an Asterina miniata (bat star) that in some pics kind of looks like it, but others not so much. It also seems to be a cool water species from the west coast.
Edit: after browsing more cushion star pics you might be right. There are definitely some solid orange ones and the shape is right.
There's an Asterina miniata (bat star) that in some pics kind of looks like it, but others not so much. It also seems to be a cool water species from the west coast.
Edit: after browsing more cushion star pics you might be right. There are definitely some solid orange ones and the shape is right.
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Cool! Probably an Aquilonastra sp (see fig 2 & 3) and may be undescribed. Just FYI almost all "Asterina" seastars seen in aquariums are actually Aquilonastra sp. and beneficial, feeding of biofilms and algae.
That was just a guess going off of the possible Florida rock thought
That’s an excellent resource!
Hypsophrys
Member
Nice resource, thanks! Definitely looks similar.
I hope so. I have a lot of orange sponges, so I hope it's not an obligate feeder. Just in my experience sponges seem to diminish over time...
If it is an Aquilonastra species it's probably not an obligate feeder. A unique charicteristic of Aquilonastra genus seastars is they're fissiparous, ie, they reproduce by splitting, Asterina seastarr (and most others) reproduce sexually and are unlikely to establish viable populations in aquaria.
Sponges are a whole seperate and complex subject. TAs you've observed the "ornamental" species don't do well. Many species of sponge feed of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC) and also mess with nitrogen and phosphorus. Some have been documented to process DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton (which raises serious questions about carbon dosing and skimmers). There are many cryptic sponge species that thrive in aquaria and beneficial but there is an invasive black encrusting photosynthetic species that thrives in bright light and can overgorw corals. Here's some links on sponges:
Bacteria and Sponges
Sponge symbionts and the marine P cycle
Element cycling on tropical coral reefs.
This is Jasper de Geoij's ground breaking research on reef sponge finding some species process labile DOC 1000X faster than bacterioplankton. (The introduction is in Dutch but the content is in English.)
A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs
A Vicious Circle? Altered Carbon and Nutrient Cycling May Explain the Low Resilience of Caribbean Coral Reefs
Coral reefs are economically important ecosystems that have suffered unprecedented losses of corals in the recent past. Why have Caribbean reefs in particu
academic.oup.com
Surviving in a Marine Desert The Sponge Loop Retains Resources Within Coral Reefs
Dissolved organic carbon and nitrogen are quickly processed by sponges and released back into the reef food web in hours as carbon and nitrogen rich detritus.
Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)
Natural Diet of Coral-Excavating Sponges Consists Mainly of Dissolved Organic Carbon (DOC)
Coral-excavating sponges are the most important bioeroders on Caribbean reefs and increase in abundance throughout the region. This increase is commonly attributed to a concomitant increase in food availability due to eutrophication and pollution. We ...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
The Role of Marine Sponges in Carbon and Nitrogen Cycles of COral Reefs and Nearshore Environments.
The role of marine sponges in carbon and nitrogen cycles of coral reef and nearshore environments - ProQuest
Explore millions of resources from scholarly journals, books, newspapers, videos and more, on the ProQuest Platform.
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