Fromia monilis
| Fromia monilis | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Fromia monilis in Borneo | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Subphylum: | Asterozoa |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Superorder: | Valvatacea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Goniasteridae |
| Genus: | Fromia |
| Binomial name | |
| Fromia monilis (Perrier, 1869) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Fromia monilis, common name Necklace Starfish or Tiled Starfish, is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.
Description
Fromia monilis can reach a diameter of about 30 centimetres (12 in). Tips of the fingers and the disc center of this starfish are bright red, while the remaining parts are paler. It feeds on encrusting sponges, detritus or small invertebrates.
Distribution
This species can be found in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, from the Andaman islands up to Australia and Japan.
Habitat
It lives in shallow water in rocky environment, at a depth of 0 - 51 m.
Nutrition and management of the aquarium
The species is also considered in reef aquariums. It feeds on the surface of the stones in a thin layers of algae, so it can live only in an old well-ripened aquarium. If the algae are not growing fast enough, supplemental feeding is usually unsuccessful, and this starfish dies of starvation.
References