Asterinid sea-stars represent a cosmopolitan element of the world s shallow marine invertebrate communities. Asterinids are typically pentagonal or stellate in form, with flat ventral surfaces adapted for clinging to hard substrates (Clark and Downey, 1992). Clark (1993) listed 18 genera and 117 species of the Asterinidae worldwide. Rowe and Gates (1995) listed eight genera and 37 species of as...

A new species of asteriid sea star of the genus Leptasterias (Order Forcipulatida) is described from the nearshore waters of the Aleutian Islands. Leptaterias tatei sp. nov. is distinguished from Leptasterias stolacantha Fisher, 1930, by the characteristics of the spines and pedicellariae. Geographic distribution is discussed and a key to the five-rayed Leptasterias of the Aleutian Islands is p...

Annual assessments of reef communities at Kona, Hawai'i, from 1985 to 1995 determined that the corallivorous sea star Acanthaster planci preferred as prey the smaller colonies of Pocillopora meandrina over the far more abundant Porites compressa and P. lobata. This finding came from three distinct settings: a Reef-Top habitat, where large (> 15 em) colonies of Pocillopora meandrina were dominan...

Sea star wasting disease (SSWD) describes a suite of symptoms reported in asteroids of the North American Pacific Coast. We performed a metatranscriptomic survey of asymptomatic and symptomatic sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) body wall tissues to understand holobiont gene expression in tissues affected by SSWD. Metatranscriptomes were highly variable between replicate libraries, and m...

Resource partitioning and utilisation of phytodetritus by the abyssal mud-ingesting seastars Styracaster chuni and Hyphalaster inermis were investigated using pigment biomarker analysis. The chlorophyll and carotenoid pigment composition of the stomach content was examined using high-pressure liquid chromatography. No significant differences were observed between the composition of pigments in ...