In this episode, you will learn how to distinguish the male and female of Indo-Pacific Beach Star (𝘈𝘳𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘺𝘱𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴 (Müller & Troschel, 1840)) 😎, one of the #most_common starfish in Hong Kong.
Indo-Pacific Beach Star lives in the sandy intertidal zone. The greyish-yellow dorsal side and the black spots on its five arms act as a form of #camouflage.
When sea stars reproduce, they expel the gametes (eggs and spermatozoids) for external fertilization. In addition to that, Indo-Pacific Beach Star has a unique mating behaviour, that is, male-on-female pairing🌟. Following the releases of eggs by the mounted female, the male will then be stimulated to release the sperm. In this way the distance between sperms and eggs is shortened, increasing the chance of successful sexual reproduction.
Most starfish possess a striking #regenerative ability after amputation.😲 When encountering danger, starfish can sacrifice their arms to escape, and regrow the lost ones later. Some starfish species can even form another independent individual from the broken arms.
If you find Indo-Pacific Beach Star reproducing on the sandy beach, you can distinguish the male and female according to their position, with the male being on top. You may also look for starfish with regenerated arms. 😉
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