Home > Invertebrates > Sea Stars > Acanthaster planci

Updated 9/21/2014

Family Acanthasteridae

INDO-PACIFIC / HAWAII

TROPICAL EASTERN PACIFIC

Acanthaster planci

Midway Atoll, 30 feet

 

Okoe Bay, Hawaii, 40 feet

Kahe Point, Oahu, 25 feet

 

San Pedro wreck, Waikiki, Oahu, 80 feet


Ho'okena, Hawaii, 50 feet

CROWN-OF-THORNS SEA STAR

Frequent at scuba depths feeding upon corals.  Appears fluorescent green at depth; this color is lost under artificial light.  Sharp spines tipped with venom.  Attains nearly 2 feet.  This species is responsible for the decimation of living corals in many tropical areas when population spikes occur.  Hawaii, Indo-Pacific, Tropical Eastern Pacific.