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Meyenaster
''Meyenaster'' is a genus of starfish in the family Asteriidae. It is a monotypic genus and the only species is ''Meyenaster gelatinosus'' which was first described by the Prussian botanist and zoologist Franz Julius Ferdinand Meyen in 1834. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean on the coasts of South America. Description ''M. gelatinosus'' is a white starfish with six arms and a mean radius ranging from . Distribution and habitat ''M. gelatinosus'' is native to the southeastern Pacific Ocean where it is found on the coasts of Chile. It is abundant in kelp forests in the subtidal zone as well as being found on sand and gravel bottoms, and among seagrasses. It is usually found in areas with strong surge away from quiet locations. Ecology In the kelp forests, ''M. gelatinosus'' is one of the dominant predators along with the starfish ''Stichaster striatus'', ''Luidia magellanica'' and ''Heliaster helianthus'', the fish ''Pinguipes chilensis'', '' Semicossyphus darwini'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Luidia Magellanica
''Luidia magellanica'' is a species of starfish in the family Luidiidae. It is found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean on the coast of South America. Distribution and habitat ''Luidia magellanica'' occurs subtidally in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, on the coasts of Peru and Chile. Its typical habitat is on rock bottoms with encrusting red algae, ''Lithophyllum'', or soft sediments composed of coarse sand and shell fragments. Ecology ''Luidia magellanica'' is a large and aggressive specialist predator of other echinoderms. Its diet includes brittle stars such as '' Ophiactis'', sea urchins such as '' Tetrapygus niger'' and starfish such as '' Patiria''. In the subtidal zone of temperate Chile it feeds on eight different species of echinoderm, and with '' Meyenaster gelatinosus'' is the dominant predator. Many of the starfish in this zone have missing or regenerating arms, and this is likely to be as a result of a near-lethal encounter with either ''L. magellanica'' or ''M. ge ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heliaster Helianthus
The sun star ''(Heliaster helianthus)'' is a species of Asteroidea (starfish) in the family Heliasteridae. It is found in shallow water rocky habitats and in the kelp forests off the Pacific coast of Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Description ''H. helianthus'' is a multi-armed starfish, the number of arms usually being in the range 28 to 39, and the diameter typically being between . The aboral (upper) surface is brown with reddish tubercles while the oral (under) surface is white or yellowish-white. The disc is broad and the ossicles (plate-like components in the skin) in the proximal parts of the arms (closest to the disc) are connected to those of the neighbouring arms by connective tissue, forming inter-arm septa. This means that only a small part of each arm is free, the rest appearing to form part of the disc. Distribution and habitat This species is present in the southeastern Pacific Ocean, along the west coast of South America. Its range includes Ecuador, Peru and Chile, and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Stichaster Striatus
''Stichaster striatus'', the common light striated star, is a species of starfish in the family Stichasteridae, found in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. It was first described by the German zoologists Johannes Peter Müller and Franz Hermann Troschel in 1840. Distribution and habitat ''Stichaster striatus'' is native to the southeastern Pacific Ocean, along the coast of South America. It occurs on rocky and sandy seabeds and among kelp in intertidal areas, with a maximum depth of . Ecology This starfish is gregarious and a predator. Although it has been recorded in Chile as feeding on twenty-eight different species of invertebrate, the majority of these were sessile organisms. It was not found to engage in cannibalism of its own species or to feed on other species of starfish. Many individuals were found to have missing or regenerating arms. This is likely the result of attacks by the dominant predatory starfish in the region '' Meyenaster gelatinosus'' and ''Luidia magell ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Asteriidae
The Asteriidae are a diverse family of Asteroidea (sea stars) in the order Forcipulatida. It is one of three families in the order Forcipulatida. Genera The World Register of Marine Species lists these genera within the family Asteriidae (in a field of 6 families): * '' Adelasterias'' Verrill, 1914 * '' Anasterias'' Perrier, 1875 * '' Aphanasterias'' Fisher, 1923 * '' Aphelasterias'' Fisher, 1923 * ''Asterias'' Linnaeus, 1758 * '' Astrometis'' Fisher, 1923 * '' Astrostole'' Fisher, 1923 * '' Caimanaster'' A.M. Clark, 1962 * '' Calasterias'' Hayashi, 1975 * '' Coronaster'' Perrier, 1885 * ''Coscinasterias'' Verrill, 1867 * '' Cryptasterias'' Verrill, 1914 * '' Diplasterias'' Perrier, 1891 * '' Distolasterias'' Perrier, 1896 * '' Evasterias'' Verrill, 1914 * '' Icasterias'' Fisher, 1923 * '' Kenrickaster'' A.M. Clark, 1962 * ''Leptasterias'' Verrill, 1866 * '' Lethasterias'' Fisher, 1923 * '' Lysasterias'' Fisher, 1908 * '' Marthasterias'' Jullien, 1878 * '' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Animalia
Animals are multicellular, eukaryotic organisms in the biological kingdom Animalia. With few exceptions, animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, are able to move, can reproduce sexually, and go through an ontogenetic stage in which their body consists of a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. Over 1.5 million living animal species have been described—of which around 1 million are insects—but it has been estimated there are over 7 million animal species in total. Animals range in length from to . They have complex interactions with each other and their environments, forming intricate food webs. The scientific study of animals is known as zoology. Most living animal species are in Bilateria, a clade whose members have a bilaterally symmetric body plan. The Bilateria include the protostomes, containing animals such as nematodes, arthropods, flatworms, annelids and molluscs, and the deuterostomes, containing the echinode ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monotypic Genera
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispecific" or "monospecific" is sometimes preferred. In botanical nomenclature, a monotypic genus is a genus in the special case where a genus and a single species are simultaneously described. In contrast, an oligotypic taxon contains more than one but only a very few subordinate taxa. Examples Just as the term ''monotypic'' is used to describe a taxon including only one subdivision, the contained taxon can also be referred to as monotypic within the higher-level taxon, e.g. a genus monotypic within a family. Some examples of monotypic groups are: Plants * In the order Amborellales, there is only one family, Amborellaceae and there is only one genus, ''Amborella'', and in this genus there is only one species, namely ''Amborella trichopoda.'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Loxechinus Albus
''Loxechinus albus'' is an echinoderm of the family Parechinidae, native to coastal southern South America, ranging from Ecuador, along the entire coasts of Peru and Chile, to Argentina, as well as the Falkland Islands. It is the only species in the genus ''Loxechinus''. It is known as the Chilean sea urchin or red sea urchin, but the latter name is typically used for the North Pacific '' Mesocentrotus franciscanus'' and it is not the only species of sea urchin in Chile (although it is the most common and widespread large sea urchins in that country). ''L. albus'' is found on rocky reefs and shores in the intertidal and subtidal zones to a depth of .Carolina J. Zagal and Consuelo Hermosilla C. (2007). ''Guía de Invertebrados marinos del sur de Chile''. Editorial Fantástico Sur, Punta Arenas, Chile Description ''Loxechinus albus'' is a fast-growing, relatively large sea urchin with a test diameter of up to , although the far southernmost populations tend to grow slower and reach ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Epifauna
Fauna is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is ''flora'', and for fungi, it is ''funga''. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively referred to as '' biota''. Zoologists and paleontologists use ''fauna'' to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess Shale fauna". Paleontologists sometimes refer to a sequence of faunal stages, which is a series of rocks all containing similar fossils. The study of animals of a particular region is called faunistics. Etymology ''Fauna'' comes from the name Fauna, a Roman goddess of earth and fertility, the Roman god Faunus, and the related forest spirits called Fauns. All three words are cognates of the name of the Greek god Pan, and ''panis'' is the Greek equivalent of fauna. ''Fauna'' is also the word for a book that catalogues the animals in such a manner. The term was first used by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Seagrass Meadow
A seagrass meadow or seagrass bed is an underwater ecosystem formed by seagrasses. Seagrasses are marine (saltwater) plants found in shallow coastal waters and in the brackish waters of estuaries. Seagrasses are flowering plants with stems and long green, grass-like leaves. They produce seeds and pollen and have roots and rhizomes which anchor them in seafloor sand. Seagrasses form dense underwater meadows which are among the most productive ecosystems in the world. They provide habitats and food for a diversity of marine life comparable to that of coral reefs. This includes invertebrates like shrimp and crabs, cod and flatfish, marine mammals and birds. They provide refuges for endangered species such as seahorses, turtles, and dugongs. They function as nursery habitats for shrimps, scallops and many commercial fish species. Seagrass meadows provide coastal storm protection by the way their leaves absorb energy from waves as they hit the coast. They keep coastal waters healthy ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Argopecten Purpuratus
''Argopecten purpuratus'' is an edible marine species of saltwater shellfish, a bivalve mollusk in the family Pectinidae Scallop () is a common name that encompasses various species of marine bivalve mollusks in the taxonomic family Pectinidae, the scallops. However, the common name "scallop" is also sometimes applied to species in other closely related families .... Habitat This scallop is natural to certain bays in the Southern west coast of south America, from Peru to Chile. Peru In Peru, the scallops can be found in large numbers naturally around the following bays: # Pisco (300 km South of Lima) # Casma y Samanco (400 km north of Lima) # Trujillo (600 km north of Lima) # Sechura Bay & Paita Bay (900 km north of Lima) Commercial value The scallops can be harvested and commercialized to several markets around the world. In most growth areas, the harvesting of natural grown scallops has been replaced by aquaculture operations. The aquaculture operat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tongoy
Tongoy is a Chilean coastal town in the commune of Coquimbo in Elqui Province, Coquimbo Region. It is located to the south of Chile's second oldest city, La Serena, next to Guanaqueros beach, on a rocky promontory opposite the Pacific Ocean, between the beaches of ''Socos'' (4 km) and ''Grande'' (26 km), to the north of the Talinay Mountain range. Tongoy's geographical coordinates are and, according to a 2002 census conducted by the National Statistics Institute, has a population of 4,435 inhabitants. Tongoy's residential areas are divided into two areas: the ''Peninsula'', a zone of summer houses, called popularly "''La Isla''" ("''The Island''") and the ''Pueblo Bajo'' (''Low Village''), where the majority of permanent inhabitants reside. Tongoy's most famous former resident is the late poet Víctor Domingo Silva, referred to as "''el poeta nacional''" ("the national poet"). The house where he was born and lived is situated opposite the former local school. A la ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autotomy
Autotomy (from the Greek language, Greek ''auto-'', "self-" and ''tome'', "severing", wikt:αὐτοτομία, αὐτοτομία) or self-amputation, is the behaviour whereby an animal sheds or discards one or more of its own appendages, usually as a self-preservation, self-defense mechanism to elude a predation, predator's grasp or to distract the predator and thereby allow escape. Some animals have the ability to regeneration (biology), regenerate the lost body part later. Autotomy has multiple evolutionary origins and is thought to have evolved at least nine times independently in animalia. The term was coined in 1883 by Léon Fredericq, Leon Fredericq. Vertebrates Reptiles and amphibians Some lizards, salamanders and tuatara when caught by the tail will shed part of it in attempting to escape. In many species the detached tail will continue to wriggle, creating a deceptive sense of continued struggle, and distracting the predator's attention from the fleeing prey animal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
