Tag Archives: sea star

Purple Sea Stars – Rare occurence at Race Rocks

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I found another black oystercatcher nest down in front of the Winch House, so moved camera 3 over to it. (Update note on July 17–2 young were observed near the nest). In the morning I went out on the intertidal for the minus tide. Excellent long exposure of the surge channel and the cave on the South west side. Also got onto Anita”s intertidal island down from the helipad on the west islet which becomes a penninsula at low tide.

gfseastar

Purple stars which oddly enough are very rare at Race Rocks

I was looking for the large (45 cm diameter Purple star. Which I saw there two years ago, and at that time I thought he was the only one on the island. This time I found another smaller one– 30 cm diameter in a similar protected channel only 2 metres from the other one. Since these sea stars inhabit the lower intertidal zone, they cannot withstand the heavy wave action that occurs in that area without these deep channels which are protected by a rise on the seaward side to the west. As far as I know these are the only two purple stars occurring at Race Rocks. They are very common however in other sheltered inland coastlines in BC and are frequently the first sea star that visitors to BC shores notice. I also made note of a large number of very colourful brooding anemone exposed on the same protected mussel-covered wall on that island. There was an unusual abundance of blue ones which I remember to be rather rare when seen by diving in that area previously . One gull nest close to the science centre has chicks hatching.’, ‘Garry’, ’09:59:49

Limited Habitat of Purple star at Low tide

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gfandstarWest Coast Wildlife Adventures approached to view the elephant seal also within 10 meters of the seal. I advised him he was too close since slash was there basking in the water. He had moved in to get a close look from a few metres. Images were placed on ecotourism page on web.
I found another black oystercatcher nest down in front of the Winch House, so moved camera3 over to it. (Update note on July 17–2 young were observed near the nest). In the morning I went out on the intertidal for the minus tide. Excellent long exposure of the surge channel and the cave on the South west side. Also got onto Anita’s intertidal island down from the helipad. I was looking for the large ( 45 cm diameter Purple star. Which I saw there two years ago, and at that time I thought he was the only one on the island. This time I found another smaller one– 30 cm diameter in a similar protected channel only 2 metres from the other one. Since these sea stars inhabit the lower intertidal zone, they cannot withstand the heavy wave action that occurs in that area without these deep channels which are protected by a rise on the seaward side to the west. As far as I know these are the only two purple stars occurring at Race Rocks. They are very common however in other sheltered inland coastlines in BC and are frequently the first sea star that visitors to BC shores notice. I also made note of a large number of very colourful brooding anemone exposed on the same protected mussel-covered wall on that island. There was an unusual abundance of blue ones which I remember to be rather rare when seen by diving in that area previously . One gull nest close to the science centre has chicks hatching.

Dermasterias imbricata: Leather star–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Domain Eukarya

Usually when we find leather stars at Race Rocks, a search in the grooves underneath will reveal a symbiont, the scaleworm Arctonoe vittata. The worm also associates with various other marine invertebrates, but if separated from its host, will search out another member of the same species. The main predator of this sea star is the morning sun star

Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Order Valvatida
Family ASteropseidae
Genus Dermasterias
Species imbricata. (Dermasterias imbricata )(Grube, 1857)
Common Name: Leather Star

Garry Fletcher

Crossaster papposus: Rose star–The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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We dont find the rose star very often when diving at Race Rocks . These sunstars are scavengers and are omnivores, ir predators of anything edible. Sunflower stars and Northern sunstars are its predators. 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Order Velatida
Family Solasteridae
Genus Crossaster
Species papposus,

(C. papposus Linnaeus, 1776)

Common Name: Rose Star

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.

Garry Fletcher

Ceramaster arcticus: The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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Our thanks to The Royal British Columbia Museum for providing this photo taken by Brent Cooke.

 

Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Family Goniasteridae
Genus Ceremaster
Species arcticus (Verrill 1909)
Common Name:
Ceramaster arcticus (Verrill 1909) (Goniasteridae)

 

From the information Phil Lambert submitted to  Syesis, 11:61–64 (1978)

Ceramaster arcticus (Verrill 1909) (Goniasteridae)
British Columbia: Race Rocks, Victoria, 9 m, one specimen (BCPM 973-251-34);

Winter Inlet, Pearse Island, 23 rn, one specimen (BCPM 974-224-43);
Work Channel, 31 m, two specimens (BCPM 974391-6);
northwest of Queen Charlotte Islands, 119 m, one specimen (NMC 1733).

Previously known from Bering Sea to St. Paul Harbour, Kodiak Island, Alaska (57*461N, 152*27W) (Fisher 1911), littoral zone to 186 rn (D’yakonov 1950). The specimen from Race Rocks (48*18’N, 123,36’W) extends the known range 2180 km southward.

References :
Philip Lambert, New geographic and bathymetric records for some northeast Pacific asteroids (Echinodermata: Asteroidea) Syesis, 11:61–64 (1978)

Royal British Columbia Museum Collection data. 

Catalogue Number: 973-00251-034
Collector’s Field Number:
Scientific Name: Ceramaster arcticus

Collection Event

Collection Date(YYYY-MM-DD): 1973-09-18

Geographic Place

Location Name: Victoria; Race Rocks
Location Description: passage between lighthouse and small islets in the lee of the rock
Province/State: British Columbia
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.

 Garry Fletcher

Orthasterias koehleri: Rainbow sea star– The Race Rocks Taxonomy

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General description:

Arms radius to 21cm, gets fairly big to 50cm; disk small, with five slender arms; aboral surface bearing prominent sharp spines and a conspicuous ruff of pedicellariae, which are white; color vivid; varying from rosy pink with a gray mottling, to bright red mottled or banded with yellow, the spines whitish or lilac.

Habitat

Uncommon, on mud, sand, and kelp but occurs in the very low intertidal zone, on shaded rock surfaces. It is more common at scuba depths and extends to 250m, being found from Alaska to Southern California.

Feeding
Domain Eukarya
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Echinodermata
Class Asteroidea
Order Forcipulatida
Family Asteriidae
Genus Orthasterias
Species koehleri
COMMON NAME: Rainbow sea star

Orthasterias koehleri feed on small snails, limpets, clams, scallops, chiton, barnacles, and tunicates. They can dig clams out of cobbled bottoms, and use the pull of the tube feet to spread apart the outer layer of a clam shell until a small opening is made between the valves. The stomach is then inserted through the opening and the clam digested.

Reproduction

To expose the gonads in a rainbow sea star, make a 1-2 inch cut in the ray near the junction with the disk, push the digestive gland gently aside to expose the underlying gonad, then firmly grasp the gonoduct with forceps and cut it free from the gonopore. Fragments of gonad can be removed, but the cut gonad will leak gametes into the body cavity. Suture the incision or leave it to heal unsutured in clean and strongly flowing seas water. Recovery is better if the insicion is small, the digestive gland is undamaged, and all air is removed from the body cavity. This method has been used with success.

References

Intertidal Invertebrates of California, Between Pacific Tides
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.

Esrah Ugurlu (PC year 28

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)