Protoreaster+nodosus

(Chocolate Chip Sea star/Knobby Star) Fam. Oreasteridae Order Valvitida
 * //Protoreaster nodosus// **

 General Overview :
//Protoreaster nodosus// is a species that occurs in the Indo-Pacific, including the Philippines, Palau,Thailand, New Caledonia, Indonesia, and Madagascar. The Chocolate Chip Sea star can be found in lagoons and sea-grass beds, and though rarely, in reefs in depths of 1-30 meters. //P. nodosus//, like many other sea stars, has a water vascular system used for locomotion, respiration, feeding, and excreting waste. The echinoderm’s central disc can reach a maximum of 12 cm in diameter and the arms a length of 14 cm. The average Chocolate Chip Sea Star is about 20-25 cm long. They have many different colourings, including white, yellow, brown, red, and sometimes even bluish. //P. nodosus// is commonly sold as a pet, souvenir, or collector’s item. [|P. nodosus In A Tank]



** Feeding Habits ** They are micro-bial or micro-algal feeders. They eat detritus, algae, oysters, tube worms, crustaceans, corals, sea anemones, and sometimes other starfish. Food and waste enter and exit through the mouth.



 Reproduction
//P. nodosus// spawn from March to May, usually in the deeper waters of their habitat. Synchronous spawning occurs during the full moon. Larvae are planktonic for about 10-14 days before they start to become benthic. They reach sexual maturity at around 2-3 years, when their disc diameter is abou t 8 cm long.

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