A. Forbesi, the common sea star, are dying out in New England and possibly along the east coast. Help us figure out why and how to save them!

Thursday, July 5, 2012

My A. forbesi: the malady


Of the two brown starfish observed on 6/6, one had an interesting phenomenon:  on the "spikes," some were developing a strange gel-like covering and were easier to scrape off, exposing the inside of the starfish
The spikes that were beginning to develop the gelly-like substance had a series of tiny bright white spots around the radial edges of the spike situated on the brown flesh in between the spikes
These gel-covered spikes were observed in clusters along the arms, more often at the most distal parts and the most proximal parts than the middle length of the arms
The other brown starfish had a few of these “spotted” spikes, but were more randomly spaced with only a few clusters at the tips of a couple of the arms

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