ing with tlie decline in feeding. In 1966 tempera- 

 ture's rose above 22.5° C. on July 7 shortly before 

 feeding declined. In 1964, because feeding began 

 to slow down before temperatures reached 22.5° C. 

 and continued low in late September and early 

 October after temperatures dropped well below 

 22.5° C, some other factor — probably the effects of 

 spawning which started in mid-June — seemed to 

 be partly responsible for the low feeding rate. In 



1965, the possible effects of sjiawning were ob- 

 served thixjugh September because feeding was low- 

 even though temperatures were 16° to 21° C. In 



1966, low feeding was recorded from mid-Septem- 

 ber through early October wlien temperatures 

 ranged from 16° to 22.5° C. The rate of feeding 

 increased again in late October and remained high 

 through most of November as temperatures 

 dropped to 15° C. and lower. Feeding rates 

 declined in late December when temperatures fell 

 to 2° to 4° C. and reached the winter low by mid- 

 January when the temperature fell to about 1° ('. 



Asterias forhesi in Long Island Sound exhibits 

 a reduction in feeding in midsummer similar to 

 that reported by Needier (1941) for A. vulgaris 

 in Eastern Canada and by Hancock (1955, 1958) 

 for A. rubens in English waters. In contrast to 

 Amphiura sp., as described by Thor.son (1955), A. 



forhesi apparently feeds actively right up to the 

 time it spawns. 



ACKNOWLEDGM ENTS 



Barry Baiardi, Eussell Clark, and Otis Lane 

 provided technical assistance, and Herman R. Glas 

 collected starfish. 



LITERATURE CITED 



Gai.tsoff, Paul S., and Victor L. Loosanofp. 



1939. Natural history and method of controlling the 

 .starfish. Astcriax forhrfii (Dpsor). r?nll. T.S. Unr. 

 Fi.sh. 49 : 75-132. 

 Hancock, D. A. 



19.5'). The feeding behaviour of starfish on Essex 

 oyster beds. .1. Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 34 : 313-331. 

 19.58. Notes on starfish on an Essex oyster bed. J. 

 Mar. Biol. Ass. U.K. 37: 565-589. 

 LoosANOFF, Victor L. 



1961. Biology and methods of controlling the star- 

 fish, Asterias forbcsi (Desvor). U.S. Fis-h Wilrll. 

 Serv., Fish. Leafl. .520, 11 pp. 

 Needleb, a. W. H. 



1941. Oyster farming in (^•lll^dil. Bull. Fish. lies. 

 Bd. Can. 60, 83 pp. 



TriOliSON, GUNNAR. 



19.55. Modern a.spects of marine level-botloiii animal 

 communities. .T. JInr. Res. 14 : 3S7-.S97. 



72 



U.S. FISH AM) Wir.DI.IFU SIOKVICK 



U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE : 1969 O— 3S7-743 



