Filling the gaps: first record of the Crown-of-thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758) (Spinulosida: Acanthasteridae), at Gorgona Island, Colombia, Tropical Eastern Pacific

By

Zapata, Fernando A.
Palacios, María del Mar
Zambrano, Valentina
Rodríguez-Moreno, Melina

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2017-5-9

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

13

Series / Issue

Issue: 3

Pages

2112--4

Subjects

coral reefs , corallivores , Echinoderms , range extension , Starfish

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/13.3.2112

 

Abstract

We report the occurrence of a major corallivore, the Crown-of-thorns Starfish Acanthaster planci, on the coral reefs of Gorgona Island, Tropical Eastern Pacific. Three individuals were sighted on opposite sides of the island, where they fed on small coral colonies of Pavona varians and Pocillopora damicornis. These sightings are noteworthy in light of reports that have demonstrated that the geographic distribution of A. planci is gradually increasing in the equatorial eastern Pacific, particularly south of the Gulf of Chiriquí (Panama) where it was previously absent.