Bristle star reproduction

[spooda420]

I bought a bristle star from M$ a few months ago. I went to feed the tank today... I saw 2 stars in there, there has not been any rock added for 3+ years. There has not been one in that tank for years... So how in the heck did he get in there?

Could the one I added a few months ago been prego?

If they loose a leg, that leg does not regenerate into a full star does it?

Just wondering if she could have had 1 baby that survived...

TIA

 

[trottman]

all stars are males so that would be impossible.

mabe it came on a piece of coral on accident and then grew

 

[spooda420]

if all stars are males how do they reproduce in the seas?

I have not added anything for a while now....

 

[JxMetal]

As the name suggests, the arms of the brittle stars are rather liable to break. This is actually an escape mechanism. Those arms regenerate quickly and an entire new organism can regenerate, if the broken arm is attached to a seizable portion of the disk. Brittle stars can reproduce asexually by self-division. Brittle stars are the most active and fastest moving echinoderms.

- Echinoderms

 

[inwall75]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=8074703#post8074703 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by spooda420
if all stars are males how do they reproduce in the seas?

I have not added anything for a while now....

Chris,

Some Ophiroids are hermaphrodites and are able to self reproduce. Others spawn and others reproduce through fission.

Brittle stars are a diverse group of animals. Just as they have a variety of feeding strategies, morphologies and behaviors, they also employ a variety of reproductive mechanisms. Most brittle stars are broadcast spawners. There are both male and female animals, and eggs and sperm are released through the genital bursae into the water. It is difficult to determine the sex of an individual without dissection, but in a few rare species, sexual dimorphism occurs. The male is usually much smaller, and the two are often found in pairs. Because the genital bursae are on the ventral surface (facing the sediment), the animals are often seen standing on the tips of their arms during spawning. Fertilization occurs in the water column, and typically produces an interesting feeding larvae called the pluteus. Non-feeding larvae may also be produced (vitellaria larva)

Other brittlestars are hermaphrodites and may self fertilize. Many also brood their young. Still others reproduce both sexually and asexually. Asexual reproduction involves splitting in two (fission) and regenerating the missing half.

http://home.att.net/~ophiuroid/html/what.html#reprod

 

[spooda420]

thanks all.