New Occurrence of Abnormal Sea Star, Astropecten indicus from Mudasalodai, South East Coast of India

Abstract

A marine invertebrate of starfish is a most familiar one. It was mainly occur on the seabed and diversity of starfish is remarkable ones. Astropecten sp is not easily identified organism while a number of species a long-lived planktotrophic larval stage. As a rule of pentamerism, Astropecten indicus strictly produces only 5 arms but some time the number was lesser than or greater than five and shows its abnormality. The reason may be of regeneration of plate systems which is responsible for forming the whole organs during larval metamorphosis or regenerating the lost plate systems in the disc in the later stages or due to environmental factors or may be of mutation.