Astropecten indicus

Scientific Name:-

Astropecten indicus

Common Name:-

Fringed star fish

Malayalam Name:-

Kadal Nakshathram

Category:-

Echinodermata

Status:-

Unknown

Description:-

Grey to ash coloured specimens with oral side whitish. Edge of the body defined by well developed supero-marginals and infero-marginals covered by small spinelets or tubercles. Supero-marginal plates broader than elongated and smaller than corresponding infero-marginals. Infero-marginals slightly project outward along the interadials. Aboral surface paxilliform. Paxillae of moderate size and closely packed, each with 10-16 spinelets arranged in transverse rows across each arms. 17-18 paxillae across the base of the arm (when base length of the arm (br) 13mm). Larger paxillae at the base of the arms and its size decreases towards the arm tip. A single madreporite located in the interradius separated from supero-marginals by two rows of paxillae. Two actinal intermediate plates in longitudinal series on each side of interradius. Supero-marginals provided with small warts like spines (1-4) on the upper edge. Upper edge of infero-marginals provided with one large spine and 3-4 smaller spines below it. The larger spine spatulate rather than pointed. Five arms with broad base and blunt tips. Ambulacra with two rows of podia devoid of suckers and a tuft of ambulacral spines (5-7) arranged in a single row along each side.

Threats:-

Not recorded

Remark:-

Commonly found in the coastal waters of India

Habitat:-

Commonly found in the coastal waters of India

Synonyms:-

Astropecten koehleri deLoriol, 1899; Astropecten pleiacanthus Bedford, 1900

References:-

Clark, A. M and F.W.E. Rowe 1971. Monograph of shallow-water Indo West Pacific echinoderms. London. 238 pp.
James, D. B. 2007. Echinoderms of the West Coast of India. Fishing Chimes, 27(7): 19- 21.
James, D.B. (1969). Catalogue of echinoderms in the reference collection of the Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute. Bull. Cent. Mus. Fish. Res. Inst., 7: 51-62.
Jayakumari, M. 2004. Studies on the ecophysiology of echinoderms along the coast of Kerala. Ph.D. Thesis submitted to the University of Kerala,. 226pp.
Sastry, R. K. (2007). Echinodermata of India: An annotated check list . Rec. zool. Surv. India.Occ. paper No.271: 1-387

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