A crown of sharp spines covers this many-armed coral predator. It belongs on a reef; an outbreak can strip large areas of living coral.
- Local names
- Taramea
- Other names
- Legacy source name: Acanthaster Planci
About this species
Crown-of-thorns starfish have far more than the familiar five arms: the guide records 7–23. Body colours include brown, grey, green and purple, with red, yellow, blue or brown spines. The source gives a diameter range of roughly 23–90 cm and spines approaching 5 cm. Despite the rigid-looking armour, the animal moves with surprising flexibility.
These starfish feed on coral. At high densities, their feeding can overwhelm a reef’s ability to recover. The giant triton snail, Charonia tritonis, is one predator, and its collection has been proposed as a contributor to outbreaks.
Research points to several interacting causes, including predation, food available to larvae and ocean conditions. The disappearance of one predator alone does not explain every outbreak. Older accounts use Acanthaster planci broadly for a group now recognised as a species complex.
