Food-related substrate preference in juveniles seastar Echinaster (Othilia) brasiliensis (Müller & Troschel,1842) in captivity

There are only a few studies that describe the larval development of Echinaster or aspects on culture systems for the genus. For starfishes, the choice of suitable substrates has received special attention since it could influence the acid-base balance of the water, movement capacity and predation r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Zoo biology 2023-09, Vol.42 (5), p.675-682
Main Authors: Maganhe, Bruna L, Andrade, Laura S, Camilo, Laura de O, Neto, Hugo G, Sanches, Eduardo G
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal populations
Biofilms
Captivity
Developmental stages
Echinaster
Echinaster brasiliensis
Food
Food preferences
Food sources
Juveniles
Larval development
Metamorphosis
Minors
Plankton
Predation
Preferences
Spawning
Sponges
Substrate preferences
Substrates
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Summary:There are only a few studies that describe the larval development of Echinaster or aspects on culture systems for the genus. For starfishes, the choice of suitable substrates has received special attention since it could influence the acid-base balance of the water, movement capacity and predation rate. The objective of this study was to evaluate the ideal food-related substrate for the rearing of juvenile Echinaster brasiliensis. A batch of fertilized eggs released in spontaneous spawning was collected and kept in a plankton-kreisel until metamorphosis. Data on preference of food-related substrate was recorded for 10 weeks from day 58 post-release. From release to 132 days old, arm length increased from 0.81 mm to 1.31 ± 0.03 mm. Considering the sudden increase in arm length (AL), it was estimated that feeding started around 40 days of age. Regarding food-related substrate preferences, biofilm grown on "rocks" showed a significant difference among other treatments, adding up to 50% of preference (p 
ISSN:0733-3188
1098-2361
DOI:10.1002/zoo.21777