Acanthaster

Acanthaster
	Acanthaster planci
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Subkingdom:	Eumetazoa
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Asteroidea
Order:	Valvatida
Family:	Acanthasteridae
Genus:	Acanthaster; Gervais, 1841
Species
	2, See text.
Synonyms
	Echinaster Gray, 1840 ; Echinities Müller & Troschel, 1844 ;

Acanthaster is a small genus of large and venomous starfish placed in its own family, Acanthasteridae. Its members are known as crown-of-thorns starfish.

Species

These species are listed in the World Register of Marine Species:^[1]

Acanthaster brevispinus Fisher, 1917
Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758)

Some sources add Acanthaster ellisi, (Gray, 1840) but it is now considered as a subspecies of A. planci in the eastern Pacific.

Recent molecular work has suggested that Acanthaster planci is a species complex of up to 4 different species that have yet to be separately described (Vogler et. al., 2008).

A. planci
A. brevispinus
Lab hybrid of A. planci and A. brevispinus^[2]
A. p. ellisi

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Mah, C. (2012). Acanthaster Gervais, 1841. In: Mah, C.L. (2012). World Asteroidea database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205212 on 2012-03-23
^ JS Lucas, « Hybrid crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci X A. brevispinus) reared to maturity in the laboratory », Nature, vol. 263, 1976, p. 409-412 & cover.

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[WoRMS-1] Mah, C. (2012). Acanthaster Gervais, 1841. In: Mah, C.L. (2012). World Asteroidea database. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=205212 on 2012-03-23

[2] JS Lucas, « Hybrid crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci X A. brevispinus) reared to maturity in the laboratory », Nature, vol. 263, 1976, p. 409-412 & cover.

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