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Growth rates are age-specific: growth is rapid for juveniles (up to 16.7 mm per month) while the rate slows as they transition from sub-adult to adult (4.5 mm per month). Researchers note three age classes for A. The juvenile starfish begins with 5 arms, which will increase to as many as 21 arms by adulthood. Its arms will begin to develop as it matures. Near the end of the brachiolaria stage, the larva settles onto a suitable hard surface and metamorphoses into a juvenile starfish. Fertilized eggs develop into planktonic larvae, which depend on phytoplankton for nutrition while they pass through several developmental stages, from gastrula to bipinnaria to brachiolaria. The female releases millions of eggs into the water column that are fertilized by a male's sperm. planci reproduces sexually through broadcast spawning. Range length 700 (high) mm 27.56 (high) in.planci injects toxins through the spines. The venomous quality of these spines is not fully understood saponin has been discovered in the spines’ underlying tissue, though the quantity is not sufficient to trigger the painful reactions seen in humans who have come into contact with the spines. Acanthaster planci possesses large, venomous spines in contrast to the short, blunt spines usually present on starfish. The skeletal structure is composed of tiny structures called ossicles, made of magnesium calcite. The interior of the body contains the internal organs (stomach, digestive gland, and gonads). Individual coloration varies from red and orange to purple, and is thought to be the result of differences in diet. The mouth is located on the underside of the central disc (the aboral surface), and light-sensitive eyespots are present at the tips of the arms. Adults normally range from 250 to 350 mm in diameter, with some individuals over 700 mm in diameter. ( Moran, 1988b)Īcanthaster planci bears between 8 and 21 arms that radiate from a central disc. ( Moran, 1988a Moran, 1988b)Īcanthaster planci is commonly found on coral reefs, foraging over coral colonies in shallow, protected areas of the backreef. This species is particularly common on the Great Barrier Reef of Australia. Acanthaster planci is found throughout the Indo-Pacific region, ranging from the Indian ocean (Red Sea and East Africa) to the Pacific (from mainland Japan south to Lord Howe Island, and from the west coast of Panama to the Gulf of California).