Asterias External Features

Asterias (Star fish)
KPM
Systematic Position
• Phylum; Echinodermata
• Sub-Phylum: Eleutherozoa
• Class: Asteroidea
• Order: Forcipulata
• Genus: Asterias
• C. Name: Sea Star
Habit and Habitat
• Free living marine animal found in sandy and muddy bottoms and
crawl on rocks and shells
• Found in all seas from tide marks to deep water
• Generally solitary
• Carnivorous feeds on crustaceans, polychaetas and mollusks. Also
feeds on detritus and planktons
• Shows power of autotomy and regeneration
External features
Shape:
• Pentamerous, radially symmetry
• Indistinct central disc with 5 radiated arms
Size:
• 10 – 20 cm in diameter
Colour:
• Variable including shades of brown, pink, orange and purple
External structure:
• Body flattened with distinct oral and aboral surface
Exoskeleton:
• Body covered in a tough, hard integuments with numerous calcareous plates and
ossicles
Structures present on oral surface
• Oral surface is flat and
directed towards substratum
Mouth:
• On the central of oral
surface, a 5 rayed aperture
enclosed in the pentagonal
depressed area the
actinosome
• Actinosome surrounded by
soft and delicate
membranous peristome
• Mouth is guarded by 5
groups of mouth papillae
Structures present on oral surface (contd…)
Ambulacral groove:
• Radiates out from the corners of
actinosome
• Extend all along the middle of the
arms
• Each groove is guarded by 2-3
rows of moveable calcareous
ambulacral spines on either sides
• External to these spines, 3 rows of
immoveable spine are present
• Another series of spines are also
present demarcating oral and
aboral surface
Tube feet:
• Each grove contains 2 double
rows of tube feet
• Tube feet are short, tubular,
retractile projections with
terminal suckers
• Helps in locomotion, capturing
of food and respiration
Sensory Tentacles:
• Tip of each arm bears a small,
non-retractile and hollow
projection
• Tactile and olfactory in function
Eye spot:
• At the end of
each ambulacral
grove, a bright
red
photosensitive
eye spot is
present
• Made up of
several ocelli
• Perceive light
Structures present on aboral surface
• Aboral surface is slightly

concave and directed upward
Spines and tentacles:
• Spines are short and blunt,
immoveable and calcareous
• Tentacles are larger on the
margins of the arms
• Embedded in the integument
Dermal branchia or papillae:

• Small, soft, membranous,
sac-like outgrowths present
in the interspace between
the dermal ossicles on both
oral and aboral surfaces
• Retractile and project
through minute dermal pores
• Helps in excretion and
respiration
Pedicellarias:
• Besides the spines and gills, entire aboral surface is covered by many
whitish modified spine like tiny forceps like structures called pedicellaria
• The pedicellariae are modified spines and are regarded as protective
organs.
• The jaws are movable on the basilar piece, operated by two sets of muscles
— two pairs of adductor muscles to close them and one pair of abductor
muscles to open them.
• Oral surface also bears pedicellaria
• Pedicellaria consists of a short, fleshy and moveable stalk with 2
articulatory calcareous blades and valves resting upon 3rd calcareous plate
and is called forcipulate pedunculate pedicellaria.
• Valves open and close with the help of a pair of abductor.
Two types of pedicellaria

Straight Pedicellaria
• The valves are straight, meet together along their entire length like
the blades of a forceps
• Occurs large amount among the dermal branchia
Crossed Pedicellaria
• The two valves cross each others like a pair of scissors
• Occurs in clusters at the base of the spines
Body Wall
Consists of 4 layers
1. Epidermis:
• Consists of ciliated columnar cells, gland cells and neurosensory cells.
• Externally covered by cuticle
2. Dermis:
• Thick layer of fibrous connective tissue
• Outer region – calcareous plate and ossicles (Endoskeleton)
• Inner region – Perihaemal and dermal spaces
3. Muscular layer:
• Involuntary muscles
• Outer – circular muscle layer
• Inner – Longitudinal muscle layer
• Longitudinal muscle layer is thicker then circular muscle and more in aboral
surface
4. Parietal peritoneum:
• Innermost layer
• Ciliated cuboidal
epithelium and lined the
coelom.
Endoskeleton
• Mesodermal
• Numerous calcareous ossicles secreted by dermis
• Ossicles in the form of spines, rods, cones and plates
Arrangement of ossicles:
• On aboral surface – irregular
• On oral surface – more or less regular
• On mouth – 5 oral ossicles
• Above ambulacral groove – 2 rows of large rod-shaped ambulacral ossicles
arranged like inverted “V”. Ambulacral ossicles forms ambulacral pores in
between for the passage of tube feet
• Endoskeleton provides rigidity and permits movement
Coelom
• True and spacious enterocoelom
• Consists of various compartments:
1. Perivisceral Coelom
2. Coelom of water vascular system
3. Perihaemal Sinus
4. Genital Sinus
• The coelom is filled with a colourless alkaline coelomic fluid – secreted by
coelomic epithelium
• In absence of true blood vascular system, coelomic fluid performs the
function of circulatory system
• Coelomic fluid contains:
Nutrients – Amino acids, fatty acids, glycerol and glucose
Phagocytic amoeboid corpuscles (amoebocytes) and
coelomocytes
• Coelomic fluid distributes the nutrients to various body cells
• Also performs respiratory and excretory functions

Asterias External Features

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Asterias External Features

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Asterias External Features

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Asterias (Star fish)

• Aboral surface is slightly

Dermal branchia or papillae:

Two types of pedicellaria

You might also like