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The early developmental process of Acanthaster solaris in
the South China Sea

1
1
1*
1
1
ZHOU Zihua , LÜ Yihua , ZHENG Chengzhi , JIA Houlei , LU Chuqian ,
2
1
GENG Zhiqiang , XIONG Xiaofei , LOU Quansheng 1
1. Nansha Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, South China Sea Environmental
Monitoring Center, State Oceanic Administration, Guangzhou 510300, China;
2. Engineering Quality Supervision Center of Logistics Support Department of Military Commission, Beijing 100142, China
Abstract: Crown-of-thorns sea star (CoTS), a well-known coral predator, has triggered severe ecological disaster on coral reefs
in the South China Sea. In order to clarify the early development process of this coral predator and better explain the formation
process of CoTS outbreak, an artificial breeding was conducted for the outbreak population of Acanthaster solaris in the South
China Sea with the method of reproductive biology. The result demonstrated 1-methyl-adenine was effectively induced to foster
A. solaris to spawn. When under the temperature of 28 ℃ and salinity of 33 as the natural seawater of coral reefs, a batch of
embryos completed incubation process and developed into bipinnaria larva. With feeding on Chaetoceros muelleri, two newly-
formed arm protruded from the anteroventral part of the planktonic larva after 12 d post-fertilization, a feature designated as
early branchiolaria larva. Upon two days metamorphosis, larva was successfully developed into 5-arms settled juvenile with
totally 410 juveniles and the average size of (445.88 ± 50.63) μm (mean ± SD). It was found that in the comparison between
artificial food and natural food, artificial food could not promote the conversion of planktic larvae into branchiolaria larvae and
natural food was still needed for the planktic development. Notably, in the experiment of present or absent attached bases, coral
stone can effectively promote the metamorphosis development of settled juveniles with the mean metamorphosis rate 2.59%,
higher than that of no attached bases with the value only 0.31%. In this study, a number of progenies of A. solaris population
were successfully bred in artificial breeding, revealing their early developmental process. The result here provided basic data
for investigation, monitoring, early warning, disaster reduction, prevention and control, and disaster management of A. solaris,
which finally fostered the ecological security of islands and reefs in the South China Sea.
Key words: Acanthaster solaris; artificial breeding; harmful organisms; early development
Corresponding author: LÜ Yihua. E-mail: yihualyu0607@163.com
Funding projects: National Key Research and Development Program of China (2022YFC3106303); Ministry of Natural
Resources High-level science and Technology Innovation Project Young Talent Project (220201); Guangdong Science and
Technology Plan Project (2021B1212110001); National Investigation on Coral Reefs Ecology (GASI-01-SHJDC); National
Natural Science Foundation of China (42076129)

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