Occurrence of Abnormal Starfish from Olaikuda in Rameswaram Islands, South East Coast of India

Abstract

Starfish Linckia multifora, Anthenea pentagonula, Goniodiscaster vallei was collected from Olaikuda in Rameswaram island of Southeast coast of India, Tamil Nadu (India) in December 2014. Samples are collected by using skin diving. Totally, 27 specimens collected among three species have abnormally developed. Normally, L. multifora, A. pentagonula, G. valley has five arms and the deviation from pentamerism is a rare phenomenon in starfishes. The present observations suggest that deviations from pentamerism are not a heritable character but are a consequence of environmental perturbations on the metamorphosis of larvae and/or abnormal regeneration of arms.