starfish looking thing?

[cherrmin]

i saw this little guy while cleaning the outside of my tank today, he kind of looks like a little starfish. any ideas what it is?

 

[Cell]

Asterina star

 

[KrisReef]

You are right, it is a little starfish. Somebody chewed on a few of its arms but they can regenerate and spread all over your tank, sometimes.

 

[WalkerLovesTheOcean]

Yup, definitely an asterina. You should remove them. They will take over your tank in a blink of an eye. It's kind of cool how they reproduce. They break off a leg, and that leg becomes a new starfish.

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Haha, yeah, these are Aquilonastra starfish (though they're known in the hobby as Asterina starfish) - they frequently reproduce by splitting in half or dropping legs, then regenerating both parts into full starfish.

They're neat little critters, but a lot people consider them pests.

 

[Cell]

Haha, yeah, these are Aquilonastra starfish (though they're known in the hobby as Asterina starfish) - they frequently reproduce by splitting in half or dropping legs, then regenerating both parts into full starfish.

They're neat little critters, but a lot people consider them pests.

Why do we call them asterina? Name changed at some point?

 

[KrisReef]

Haha, yeah, these are Aquilonastra starfish (though they're known in the hobby as Asterina starfish) - they frequently reproduce by splitting in half or dropping legs, then regenerating both parts into full starfish.

They're neat little critters, but a lot people consider them pests.

What? They changed the classification? (The new name is kinda long, and it has the letter q in it.)

 

[VintageReefer]

There’s over a dozen species of this and some eat coral such as zoanthids and others are harmless

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

Why do we call them asterina? Name changed at some point?

What? They changed the classification? (The new name is kinda long, and it has the letter q in it.)

My understanding is that they were called Asterina stars (which are actually stars of a different genus from the same family, Asterinidae) because someone was confused about what kind of star the tiny starfish they found were, and the name stuck before the mistake was realized.

Aquilonastra stars are typically presumed to be biofilm eaters and they typically reproduce asexually (fissiparously); Asterina stars are typically predatory and reproduce sexually.

Aquilonastra are incredibly common in the hobby while Asterina are not. Both are typically tiny, generally fairly similar looking stars though.

 

[KrisReef]

My understanding is that they were called Asterina stars (which are actually stars of a different genus from the same family, Asterinidae) because someone was confused about what kind of star the tiny starfish they found were, and the name stuck before the mistake was realized.

Aquilonastra stars are typically presumed to be biofilm eaters and they typically reproduce asexually (fissiparously); Asterina stars are typically predatory and reproduce sexually.

Aquilonastra are incredibly common in the hobby while Asterina are not. Both are typically tiny, generally fairly similar looking stars though.

That's all good to know! Thank you!

Hobbists and our naming conventions

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

That's all good to know! Thank you!

Hobbists and our naming conventions

Haha, yeah we get a few wrong (like "Munnid Isopods" for another example), but we're generally pretty close.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

i saw this little guy while cleaning the outside of my tank today, he kind of looks like a little starfish. any ideas what it is?

https://www.reef2reef.com/threads/what-is-that-a-r2r-guide-to-common-new-tank-hitchhikers.443382/

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Haha, yeah we get a few wrong (like "Munnid Isopods" for another example), but we're generally pretty close.

What's wrong with munnid isopod?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

What's wrong with munnid isopod?

To the best of my current knowledge (I still need to go digging deeper through the taxonomy), the "Munnid Isopods" we typically get in the hobby are actually a different kind of isopod from the same superfamily, Janiroidea:
https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/8315868/

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

To the best of my current knowledge (I still need to go digging deeper through the taxonomy), the "Munnid Isopods" we typically get in the hobby are actually a different kind of isopod from the same superfamily, Janiroidea:
https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/8315868/

Thanks for sharing! I will try to remember to give the correct info going forward :)

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

To the best of my current knowledge (I still need to go digging deeper through the taxonomy), the "Munnid Isopods" we typically get in the hobby are actually a different kind of isopod from the same superfamily, Janiroidea:
https://www.reef2reef.com/posts/8315868/

Great thread, thanks for linking.
@taricha , I think your pronunciation is spot on... :smiling-face-with-sunglasses:
"Asellota isopods, Ase-whole-llota isopods"

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

So, would "Janiroidean isopod" be the correct way to specify these?

 

[ISpeakForTheSeas]

So, would "Janiroidean isopod" be the correct way to specify these?

Most likely, yeah, Janiroidean Isopods, presumably Janirid Isopods more specifically at this point; the family Janiridae (as mentioned in the other thread) is a solid assumption at this point, I'll just personally feel more comfortable about using it once I've looked a little deeper at the rest of the Superfamily and possibly some relatives (it's on my to-do list, but the list is pretty extensive at the moment, so it may be a while).

 

[Cell]

The Janiroideans sound like some Star Wars humanoid species.

 

[EeyoreIsMySpiritAnimal]

Most likely, yeah, Janiroidean Isopods, presumably Janirid Isopods more specifically at this point;

I guess I was wondering about the extra "oi"... Janirid vs Janiroid.

Fun with Latin, lol