Fromia monilis

Fromia monilis
	Fromia monilis in Borneo
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Asteroidea
Order:	Valvatida
Family:	Goniasteridae
Genus:	Fromia
Species:	F. monilis
Binomial name
	Fromia monilis; (Perrier, 1869)
Synonyms
	Fromia ghardaqana Tortonese, 1979; Fromia japonica Perrier, 1881; Fromia major Koehler, 1895; Linckia milleporella von Martens, 1866; Scytaster monilis Perrier, 1869;

Fromia monilis, common name necklace starfish or tiled starfish, is a species of starfish belonging to the family Goniasteridae.

Description

Fromia monilis can reach a diameter of about 30 centimetres (12 in). Tips of the arms and the disc center of this starfish are bright red, while the remaining parts are paler, forming large plates.

In Timor.
Fromia monilis (Sabah, Malaisia)

The appearance of this sea star can be highly variable (colors, plates, presence of plates on the central disc, armpits...), and its identification using picture can be difficult, as many other species (like Fromia nodosa) can have a very similar aspect.^[1]

Distribution

This species can be found in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific, from the Andaman islands up to Australia and Japan.

Ecology

It feeds on encrusting sponges, detritus or small invertebrates.

Nutrition and management of the aquarium

The species is also considered in reef aquariums. It feeds on the surface of the stones in thin layers of algae, so it can live only in an old well-ripened aquarium. If the algae are not growing fast enough, supplemental feeding is usually unsuccessful, and this starfish dies of starvation.

References

Vanden Berghe, Edward; Garcia, Maria; Mah, Christopher (24 October 2008). "Fromia monilis (Perrier, 1869)". marinespecies.org. World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS).
"SeaLife". sealifebase.org.
"Blue Zoo Aquatics". bluezooaquatics.com.