Short Communication: Observations of crown-of-thorns strafish spawning

Abstract

Individual and group spawning events of crown-of-thorns starfish (Acanthaster planci) were observed in the Whitsunday region, Great Barrier Reef, on the afternoon of 5 December 1990, during a falling tide, 2 days after a spring tide. Not all individuals in the group spawned, and only a single female spawned. The behaviour of the starfish during spawning is described.