Category Archives: Species

Hexagrammos decagrammus : Kelp Greenling –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Kelp Greenling (Hexagrammas decagrammus) are one of the most abundant bottom or demersal fish in the shallow benthic community at Race Rocks.


All demersal fish such as this are protected in the  ecological reserve with the Rockfish Protection zone.
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Chordata
Subphylum Vertebrata
Class Actinopterygii
Order Scorpaeniformes
Family Hexagrammidae
Subfamily Hexagramminae
Genus Hexagrammos
Species decagrammus
COMMON NAME: greenling sea trout; speckled sea trout; tommy cod
The Kelp Greenling is one of the few fish that has 5 lateral lines on each side. Males and females are sexually dimorphic, the females being a distinct orange color, while the males are bluish in color. Females are profusely covered with orange-reddish spots. Males are brown or gray in colour with a few blue spots on the front part of their body. Each of these spots is surrounded by a ring of reddish brown. We frequently see these fish dodging in under the canopy of the brown algae Pterophyga.

male kelp greenling

The Kelp Greenling is a rocky reef fish, found on the bottom of the ocean, often in dense macroalgae.They are abundant all along the front cliff off the docks at Race Rocks.

female kelp greenling

Between Alaska and Central California, most of them live from lower intertidal waters to about 50 feet, with females tending to live in shallower water than males.

The typical Kelp Greenling is about ten inches long, but the largest in record was 21 inches.

female kelp greenling

Females grow faster than males. Some females mature at 4 years. The greenling has been aged to 12 years, but few probably live longer.

Females are oviparous and these fish are fall spawners with nesting noted in October- November off Washington and British Columbia. Females migrate down to the males, lay their blue eggs in nests which the males guard until they hatch. Feeding occurs during the day and they are inactive at night, with their preferred menu being : shrimps, crabs, worms, octopi, brittlestars, snails and small fish.

 

 

 

 

References:
Probably more than you want to know about the fishes of the Pacific Coast, Milton Love, Really Big Press, California, 1996

Coastal Fishes of the Pacific Northwest, Andy Lamb and Phil Edgell, Harbour publishing, BC, 1986

Other members of the Class Actinopterygii at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.
Dec. 2001 Jill Scherenke Dec 2001 (PC) Germany

 

Enteroctopus dolpheni: Giant Pacific Octopus: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Enteroctopus dolpheni: Giant Pacific Octopus: The advanced eye of a mollusc. Photo by Ryan Murphy

Getting up close and personal was one of the things that former Ecoguardian Ryan Murphy was able to do very well underwater.. Consequently he produced the following interesting images from underwater.

We frequently encounter Octopus while diving at Race Rocks. They blend in very well with the algae and can change colors rapidly. Often the best way to see them is to spot their large (1-2 cm) white suckers in a crevice or cave. According to the website below, “Although it is very unusual to find an individual over 45kg, one large individual captured just near Victoria in 1967 weighed 70 kilograms (156 pounds) and was almost 7.5 meters ( 23 feet ) from arm tip to arm tip.

Smaller animals occur occasionally in low intertidal pools on rocky shores, larger individuals generally subtidal to depths of 100m; along North Pacific rim from northern Asia to California;

One of the largest octopus species known, the largest specimen on record with a total arm spread of 9.6m and a weight of 272 kg; dorsal mantle length usually over 20 cm; weight sometimes exceeding 50 kg; body ovoid, with extensive skin folds, red to reddish brown above, pale below; ocelli absent; arms 3-5 times body length, lacking specialized enlarged suckers and large truncate papillae; hectocotylus large, about one-fifth the length of the third right arm; with 12-15 lamellae on the outer demibranch of each gill; gill lamellae 25-29; ink dark brown; eggs measuring 6-8 mm by 2-3 mm, planktonic larva with a single row of chromatophores on each arm; borne in capsules on long stalks, these entangled and cemented together to form long festoons.

The Giant Pacific Octopus, (Enteroctopus dofleini , Hochberg, 1998) was formerly classified as : Octopus dofleini (Wulker, 1910)

 

Giant Pacific Octopus frequently appear at Race Rocks in the subtidal waters. They are also seen occasionally washed up in the intertidal zone where they contribute to the energy flow of the gulls and eagles. This individual which had died recently in June 2002, became the subject of a webcast and an impromptu dissection on the shore.

Video on Octopus necropsy

Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Mollusca
Class: Cephalopoda
Order Octopoda
Suborder: Incirrata
Family :Octopodidae
Genus: Enteroctopus
Species: dofleini (Hochberg, 1998)
Common Name:  Giant Pacific Octopus
Although E.dofleini has been used extensively in laboratory studies, its natural history is still poorly known. The life cycle is thought to be 4-5 years. Eggs are laid throughout the year, though mainly in the winter, and development takes 5-7 months; hatching peaks in the early spring. The young are pelagic for a short period, probably about 1 month.

The three images above of a baby Octopus were taken in the intertidal zone near the docks by
Ryan Murphy in July 2004.

The adults feed on crustaceans (shrimps and crabs), mollusks (scallops, clams, abalones, moon snails, and small octopuses, and fishes ( rockfishes, flat fishes, and sculpins). Large crabs are stalked and then caught with a sudden flick of one or more arms; empty crab carapaces, shiny shells, and bones often litter the entrance to a lair. The octopus takes smaller shrimps and fishes by slowly arching its body over a seaweed bed, then suddenly pouncing, and enclosing the area in a canopy formed by the web membrane that joins the basal parts of adjacent arms. The sensitive arm tips are then inserted into the impounded area to search for food.

  • Two mesozoan parasites charactersictically occur in the kidneys of E. dofleini: Dicyemennea abreida and Conocyema deca.

This octopus is fed upon by seals, sea otters, dogfish sharks, lingcod, and man. It supports small commercial fisheries in Alaska, Canada, Washington, Oregon, and Northern California. Locally, it is also used by halibut fishers as bait.

Literature Cited:

Robert H. Morris, Donald P. Abbott, and Eugene C. Haderlie, Intertidal Invertebrates of California

Eugene N. Kozloff, Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest

octopus and diverLink to an assignment on Biodiversity submitted to us by
Shawna Millard Biology 202 at Bellevue Community College, Washington.

 

 

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy

This file is provided as part of a collaborative effort by the students, faculty and volunteers of Lester B. Pearson College .  This file was started by: Amanda Muscat PC yr 27, Dec. 2001.

Histrionicus histrionicus: Harlequin duck–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Histrionicus histrionicus –Harlequin Duck

In the fall of 2006, there was a large flock of males and females around the shores of the island. They were frequently visible in the waters and shoreline around the docks. These pictures were captured on the remote camera 5 by Pam Birley.

Interesting Facts:

  • English name from characters in Italian comedy that wear a mask and have an oddly painted costume
  • Locally may be called “rock ducks” due to their habit of staying out on rocks.
  • Population of 200 – 300 thousand on the West Coast but endangered on the Atlantic Coast
  • A group of up to 30 harlequins overwinter at Race Rocks, arriving in early November and departing in the spring, numbers vary as they come and go during that time.

Identification:

  • Length: 12 inches
  • Wingspan: 26 inches
  • Small diving duck
  • Small gray bill
  • Dark wings

Males have a striking feathers with dark blue, dark orange, and white streaks
Females are discrete and have a subtle brown color that camouflages them for nesting

Ryan Murphy has an album of images of Harlequin ducks which he took while he was an Ecoguardian at Race Rocks- 2009-2011.

Biotic Associations:

  • Predation from Sea Lions ( We have seen them leave the water and come up on the rocks when sea lions are near.)
  • Spend majority of time feeding in Kelp Beds on aquatic invertebrates and lesser quantities of fish.

Food:

Freshwater invertebrates

  • Fish eggs consumed when available
  • Use their stubby bill to pry invertebrates such as snails, limpets, crabs, chitons, and mussels from the rocks
    during the winter months
  • In the late winter months they feed on herring spawn in large congregations.

Domain : Eukarya
Kingdom:  Animalia
Phylum : Chordata
Subphylum:  Vertebrata
Class : Aves
Order:  Anseriformes
Family:  Anatidae
Genus:  Histrionicus
Species: histrionicus
COMMON NAME: Harlequin Duck

See other posts on this website with reference to Harlequin Ducks

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

This file was originally produced by Dec. 2001 Karim Ladha (PC yr 27)

 

Cepphus columba: Pigeon Guillemot–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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rmmar2609piggguil

Pigeon Guillemots arrive in early January, some still in their mottled winter plumage. Their numbers build and nesting takes place in late spring. A favourite foraging area is in the main channel in font ( to the North) of the Race Rocks docks. They may number up to 100 in the water, diving down in the current and coming up with small fish, especially gunnels.

Ryan Murphy has done some amazing telephoto shots starting in February of 2009 of Pigeon Guillemots such as those below.  They are included in a set here on his Flickr site.

rm2010pigguilskip rmguillemot4
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Four samples of photos of Pigeon Guillemots by Ryan Murphy

winterplumage-pigu

Winter Plumage on Pigeon Guillemots, photo by Pam Birley by the Remote control Camera 5

raisajan152011pigu

Winter Plumage of Pigeon Guillemot. photo by Raisa Mirza


Description: The pigeon guillemot has an average size of 12-14”. Its summer plumage is black with large white wing patches interrupted by black stripes.

It is interesting to note that in winter, its head and upper parts lighten slightly, however in all seasons feet and bill lining are brilliant red. In the spring it can be heard making a high whistle.

How and what they eat: The Pigeon Guillemot feeds by diving and taking up small fish. Some examples are: Penpoint Gunnels or “Blenny”, sand lance, smelt, and sculpins.

Habitat: This species resides in rocky coastal areas, with shallow inshore waters as its feeding grounds. Nest cavities are found amongst holes and rock crevices on the West, North East and South sides of Great Race Rocks. Some habitat for nesting was created years ago when blasting for the helicopter pad produced rubble under which they could tunnel..

rmgunnelandpigil copy

Ryan Murphy took this picture of a pigeon guillemot having just caught a gunnel.

Lumpenus sagitta, pacific snake prickleback captured by Pigeon guillemot

Lumpenus sagitta, pacific snake prickleback captured by Pigeon guillemot, Ryan Murphy photo.

Predators: Seagulls are predators of pigeon guillemot eggs. At Race Rocks, the main threat is predation by Bald Eagles, Peregrine falcons and nest predation by River Otters.

ahjuly3011pigguilchick

Summer ecoguardian Adam Harding was able to take pictures of a the chicks in a guillemot nest in the summer of 2011. The nest was located at the end of the low rock wall West of the science house

 

piguilnest

1 or 2 greenish or whitish, dark-spotted eggs are laid in a crevice or burrow. This nest burrow had been abandoned,perhaps due to predation, at the end of the season eggs were still present unhatched in the burrow. The light keeper’s assistant is shown here-1984-

Pigeon Guillemots

Pigeon Guillemots photo by Ecoguardian Courtney Edwards in March , 2014

The slide show above was made from pictures taken by Pam Birley in 2007

Kiprop made this video of the Guillemots jostling for position on the rocky shore on the West side of the island.

slide show of mating guillemots by Pam Birley was made from camera 5 screen captures.

Video of pigeon guillemots on the island and out in the passage where they dive and forage.[/caption]

Return to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image Gallery

Other Members of the Class Aves at Race Rocks.

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Original text of this taxonomy was done in Dec. 2001 by Anthony Woodside, PC Year 27

Gersemia rubiformis: Sea strawberry–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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gersem

Gersemia rubiformis –Photo by Dr. A.Svoboda

In the following video, the soft pink coral Gersemia rubiformis is highlighted. It grows at 7-10 meters over a 3 square meter area off peg #3.  note the retraction of the colony when it is disturbed. Also note the other associated invertebrates in the same area.

The following video shows in close details the characteristics of the soft pink coral (Gersemia rubiformis) found at Race Rocks. Soft corals are mostly sub-tidal. A soft coral has spicules of calcium carbonate within it, so it is moderately firm, but it does not have a completely calcified skeleton, like that of reef-building corals of warmer seas, or even like that of the cup coral of our coast. The polyps of soft corals have eight tentacles, each with delicate side branches. This establishes their relationship to sea pens and to most of the colonial reef-building corals. This colonial invertebrate forms a lumpy colony, sometimes 10 or 15 cm in diameter, whose colors range from cream through orange to deep pink elsewhere, but are consistently deep pink here at Race Rocks. The lumps, when the polyps have withdrawn, slightly resemble raspberries, which belong to the genus Rubus; hence the specific name rubiformis. Extended, the individual polyps stick out about 5mm beyond the lump to which they belong.   Filmed by Jean-Olivier Dalphond and Damien Guihen on a sunny day at Race Rocks.


Gersemia rubiformis – a soft coral found underwater at Race Rocks. Usually it is found at the depth of 8 to 10 meters with an amazing variety of many other invertebrates. Here, no invertebrate is found growing on its own, they always occur in association with other invertebrates.

Gersemia occurs in fairly big pink patches in rather greater depths in the ocean but there are some small patches of it along the North cliff of Race Rocks. The lumpy colonies it forms usually are 10 to 15 cm in diameter.

Gersemia grows at the shallow depth because of the availability of nutrients there. Emerging from the walls are small pale pink polyps

Extended, the individual polyps stick out about 5 mm beyond the lump to which they belong. These polyps have small tentacles at the end. Each polyp has 8 of them, each with delicate branches which are able to catch masses of plankton for food. The vertical structure of the colony allows the polyps to be filter feeders and strain out plankton and other drifting organisms from the water column.

Embedded within the body wall of the polyp are millions of microscopic, photosynthetic organisms, known as zooxanthellae. They live symbiotically, provide food and fuel and absorb many of the waste products of the polyp. Without the zooxanthellae, the corals could not exist. It is the zooxanthellae that contains necessary chemicals for the adequate production of calcium carbonate, for reef forming types of corals. However Gersemia does not have a completely calcified skeleton, like that of reef-building corals of warmer seas. Zooxanthellae are also responsible for providing much of the colour in corals, which usually range from cream through orange to deep pink elsewhere, but are consistently deep pink in Race Rocks.
CLASSIFICATION:
Domain: Eukarya
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Order: Alcyonacea
Family: Nephtheidae
Genus: Gersemia
Species: rubiformis
Common name: Sea Strawberry

taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Ania Pawlicka——- PC yr 27, 2001

 

Ligia pallasii: Sea Slater –The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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video of sampling of populations of Ligia sp

 

During the Johan Ashuvud project 2004, students explored the intertidal with Garry. They examined various organisms as well as the artificial tidepool.

In this video, we also get a chance to meet all the students taking part in the project

The central part of this video has a section on Ligia sp.

Sexual dimorphism in body proportions is marked in L.pallasii. Males, with their large, laterally expanded ephemeral plates, have a length/width ratio of about 1.6; females and immature males are narrower, with a corresponding ratio of about 2.1. Half- moulted males are occasionally found in which the rear half of the body has moulted and is abruptly significantly wider than as yet unmoulted front half, an odd sight, usually several days after the posterior moult.On the walls of cliffs and sea caves, the larger and broader males often cover and shield the females and juveniles.

L.Pallassi prefers sea cliffs. At Race Rocks, the loose upper intertidal rocks and crevasses on the Western side of the main island provide ideal habitat. There are differences in the osmoregulatory responses shown by these species associated with their behavior and ecology.The slower -moving pallasii lives permanently in cool, moist habitats characterized by fluctuating hypo-saline condition. L.Pallasii are air breathers with gill-like pleopods not equipped with tracheal trees.The respiratory pleopods must be kept moist to function properly.This is done by immersion or by dipping the tail in water in such away that the uropods serve as capillary siphons.

Ligia species are fed upon by birds, especially gulls, and by the intertidal crab. Life span of L.pallasii is 1.5 to 2 years , with breeding occurring in spring and early summer, and the average brood size is 48 plus or minus 11 young.The overall sex ratio is 1:1.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum or Division Arthropods
Class Crustacea (crustaceans)
Order Isopoda
Family Ligiidae
Genus Ligia
Species pallasii
COMMON NAME:sea slater

pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams. Dec 2005- Palwasha Hussain Khel

 

Ophiothrix spiculata: Brittle star–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Ophiothrix spiculata is a common species among algal holdfasts at Race Rocks. Its arm’s spines are especially long, and each one has a number of small thorns on it. the color is extremely variable but it is generally reddish brown, there may be some orange on the disk, too. in spite of all the color variation, this species is unmistakable because of its thorny spines.

Two sets of video on brittle stars are seen here. They were observed off the docks at Race Rocks in about 10 meters of water. Note the other organisms that live in the area also.

 

This brittle star is lives on the rocky sea floor, from shallow waters to great depths. Brittle stars are related to sea stars. These marine invertebrates move very slowly along the sea bed. More than 2000 species of brittle stars exist in the world.
It has long, thin, spiny arms that radiate from a flat central disk; the arms do not touch each other at their bases. Many of the arms are forked. If a brittle star’s arm is cut off, it will regenerate.
Usually the central disk in these brittle stars is under 2 cm) in diameter. They have an exoskeleton and vary in color. They do not have a brain; they have a simple ring of nerve cells that moves information around the body. Tube feet located along the arms sense light and smells.

This juvenile brittle star was filmed in the lab by Sylvia Roach using a Digital camera attached to a dissecting microscope at 4X

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Ophiuroidea
Order Ophiurida
Family Ophiodermatidae
Genus Ophiothrix
Species spiculata
COMMON NAME: brittle star

They often gather in large groups and collectively filter food from the circulating water. When roused from a hiding spot their best form of defense is to crawl away-

The projections on the five arms of this brittle star look like many tiny hairs, but are actually spines. That being said, they are gentle, very delicate creatures that do not harm humans. They are nocturnal (feed and move about primarily at night); they stretch out to catch food particles, passing the bits down to the central mouth.
To avoid predation, if a predator catches one of its legs, it has the ability to swim off, leaving that leg behind, and it can regenerate a new one!

Waving arms point out the home of the stars. Those aren’t worms, they’re brittle stars, sea star cousins that hide themselves under rocks and in the holdfasts of kelp, especially in the Pterophyga at Race Rocks.

For comparison with another species, see this image in our ecological equivalents file an image of a large 20cm species from the Galapagos:

 

 

 

Reference Cited:

Eugena N. Kozloff , Seashore Life of the North Pacific Coast

http://www.mbayaq.org/efc/living_species/default.asp?hOri=1&inhab=142

 

Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 March October 2003-  Rahilla (PC)

Leptasterias hexactis The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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The six rayed sea star is found both intertidally and subtidally at Race Rocks. They are one of the smaller sea stars.

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Order Forcipulatida
Family Asteriidae
Genus Leptasterias
Species  hexactis  (Stimpson,1862)
COMMON NAME: Six- rayed Star
Introduction
Description: Radius 2″ (51 mm), 6-armed ( note the species name hexactis referring to the six arms.). Green, black, brown, or red, sometimes mottled. Disk moderate-sized with 6 fairly broad arms; spines on upper surface dense and mushroom-shaped. rarely do we find these at Race Rocks exceeding 15 cm in length.
Habitat: On rocky shores. We frequently find these when doing intertidal studies or when diving in shallow water at Race Rocks. Range British Columbia to s. California.
Discussion: L. hexactis eats small snails, limpets, mussels, chitons, barnacles, sea cucumbers, and other species, including dead animals. It produces yellow, yolky eggs that stick together in a mass after fertilization. These are brooded under the disk of the female until they hatch as miniature sea stars after 6 to 8 weeks. The small six-rayed sea stars of the West Coast are quite variable and have presented problems of identification. The only other species currently recognized is the Small Slender Sea Star (L. pusilla) which has sharp spines and longer, thinner arms than L. hexactis, and is a light gray-brown or reddish color. It also has a very limited range from San Francisco to Monterey Bay. It reaches a radius of 1″ (25 mm).
Echinoderms have a few important aspects in common. They have bony ossicles in their body. They have a water-vascular system which pumps water through the madroporite. They also have small jaws that are supported by the water-vascular system. And they have tube feet which they use to attach to objects, for protection, as well as to obtain food. They have radial symmetry and most can regenerate lost limbs.

 

Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 December 2001(PC)

Mediaster aequalis: Vermillion star–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Mediaster in its habitat. Photo by Dr.A..Svoboda

Snail predation

 

Vermillion stars are seen frequently by divers in the 0-15 meter depth at Race Rocks.

 

Information.
Bright red (vermillion in fact) with large plates along its five arms. To 20 cm. Common just below the surface on low tides but hardly ever high and dry. These are abundant subtidally – you may find plenty after storms or extreme tides.

This Vermillion star male was emitting sperm while in the tank at Pearson College in early January 2004 . This went on for more than three hours. Millions of sperm are broadcast into the water where they may have a chance encounter with eggs which are simultaneously released into the current by the females. Of the great numbers of eggs and sperm released only a few are fertilized and actually make it to maturity. This is a good example of
r-selection in the population.

– http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/1998/jj98neigh.htm

Mediaster aequalis is one of the smaller sea stars ranging in size from three to seven inches. It is found on many types of beaches at very low tides.

– http://www.geocities.com/oscmarinetech/Animals.htm#Vermillion%20Star

The vermillion sea star is common in shallow subtidal waters. Its feeding area stretches to nearly the tip of each arm on the underside. The vermillion star, so named because of its colour can be found from the Alaskan Peninsula, south to southern Caifornia.

Colour: Vermillion aborally, more orange orally; tube feet red to flesh colour.

Habitat: common on rocks shell, sand, gravel, pebbles and mud.

Feeding: diet varies with substrate and season; eats encrustin sponges and bryozoans on ock; seapen.

Reproduction: breeds from March to May; number of eggs in 65mm sea star estimated at 1,800 per year. the eggs measure 1 to 1.2mm and are bright opaqe orange. It is estimated that Vermillion sea stars reach sexual maturity within four years.

Speed: The sea star can move anywhere between 27 and 40 cm per minute.

Reference: The Sea Stars of British Columbia, Lambert, 1981, British Columbia Provincial Museum, Victoria

Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

Dec 2001 Damien Guihen (PC yr 27)

Henricia leviuscula The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Blood stars are seen frequently by divers in the 0-15 meter depth at Race Rocks. They are planktonic feeders.

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Stelleroidea
Sub Class Asteroidea
Order Spinulosida
Sub Order Leptognathina
Family Echinasteriade
Genus Henricia
Species Leviuscula
Common Name Blood Star

The Blood Star is characterized by its brilliant red or reddish-orange color. Its comparatively small and graceful its body is only 10 to 12 cm from the tip of one ray to the tip of the one across from it. It has an arm radius to 8.9 cm, usually less; its disk is small, its arms are long, tapering, and are usually five in name (sometimes four or six); it has an absent pedicellariae; its aboral surface has a tan to orange-red or purple color., often banded with darker shades, and bearing many groups of short spinlets arranged in a fine network.
Habitat: Common on protected sides of rocks, under rocks, and in caves and pools, more frequently where rock is encrusted with sponges and bryozoans, low intertidal zone, subtidal to over 400 m.

The sea star feeds on bacteria and other tiny particles, which are captured in mucus and swept to the mouth by ciliated tracts. It may also feed by applying the stomach to the surfaces of sponges and bryozoa.

Breeding habits in the sea star vary with size. Smaller females brood their eggs in a depression around the mouth formed by arching the arms. Larger females discharge eggs directly into the water and do not brood them. The sperm have spherical heads and the eggs are orange-yellow and yolky, and development is direct.

REFERENCES CITED:

1. Robert H. Morris, Donald P. Abbott, and Eugene C. Haderlie,Intertidal Invertebrates of California, 1980, Stanford University

LINKS:

http://elib.cs.berkeley.edu/photos/fauna/sci-invertebrate.html

http://enature.com/fieldguide/showSpeciesSH.asp?curGroupID=
8&shapeID=1072&curPageNum=9&recnum=SC0074

Other Members of the Phylum Echinodermata at Race Rocks 
taxonomyiconReturn to the Race Rocks Taxonomy
and Image File
pearsonlogo2_f2The Race Rocks taxonomy is a collaborative venture originally started with the Biology and Environmental Systems students of Lester Pearson College UWC. It now also has contributions added by Faculty, Staff, Volunteers and Observers on the remote control webcams.

 Dec 2001Tania Melendez (PC yr.27)