Sand star, Astropecten indicus Döderlein, 1888, as an alternative live diet for captive harlequin shrimp, Hymenocera picta Dana, 1852

Aquaculture of the sand star, Astropecten indicus Döderlein, 1888, as a step toward the sustainable aquaculture of harlequin shrimp, Hymenocera picta Dana, 1852

“…The culture of sand stars negates the need to harvest specimens, and/or comet sea stars, from the wild; however, this represents a stepping stone toward the ultimate objective of providing an artificial feed for harlequin shrimp. The study of Pratoomyot et al () has already demonstrated that H. picta respond quickly to, and readily predate upon and subsequently consume, sand stars added to their tanks (Figure ) and that shrimp fed a diet of sand stars are able to grow, spawn, and produce viable offspring.…”

“…This dependency on a single species harvested from natural sources, however, raises serious concerns regarding the sustainability of local populations, the potential damage to sea star/harlequin shrimp habitat, and the relevance of this practice. Under captive conditions, a pair of harlequin shrimp will typically consume a fresh 4–5 cm piece of L. multifora every 1–2 days (female shrimp weight gain over 90–270 days post‐hatch is 0.01 ± 0.0025 g/d; for male shrimp, it is 0.006 ± 0.002 g/d; Pratoomyot et al, ). Harlequin shrimp can be maintained on frozen L. multifora during periods of limited availability; however, the growth and survival of shrimp is poor (Pratoomyot et al, ; Sean, ).…”

“…Under captive conditions, a pair of harlequin shrimp will typically consume a fresh 4–5 cm piece of L. multifora every 1–2 days (female shrimp weight gain over 90–270 days post‐hatch is 0.01 ± 0.0025 g/d; for male shrimp, it is 0.006 ± 0.002 g/d; Pratoomyot et al, ). Harlequin shrimp can be maintained on frozen L. multifora during periods of limited availability; however, the growth and survival of shrimp is poor (Pratoomyot et al, ; Sean, ). As both harlequin shrimp and comet sea stars in Thailand are principally harvested from the wild for the ornamental trade, the recent study of Pratoomyot et al () set out to develop the aquaculture of both species as the first step toward more sustainable practices, with a further future objective of developing an appropriate artificial diet to negate the need for a live diet.…”

“…Harlequin shrimp can be maintained on frozen L. multifora during periods of limited availability; however, the growth and survival of shrimp is poor (Pratoomyot et al, ; Sean, ). As both harlequin shrimp and comet sea stars in Thailand are principally harvested from the wild for the ornamental trade, the recent study of Pratoomyot et al () set out to develop the aquaculture of both species as the first step toward more sustainable practices, with a further future objective of developing an appropriate artificial diet to negate the need for a live diet. The study of Pratoomyot et al () found that the sand star, Astropecten indicus Döderlein, 1888, could be used as an alternative live diet during periods when L. multifora is limited in supply.…”

“…As both harlequin shrimp and comet sea stars in Thailand are principally harvested from the wild for the ornamental trade, the recent study of Pratoomyot et al () set out to develop the aquaculture of both species as the first step toward more sustainable practices, with a further future objective of developing an appropriate artificial diet to negate the need for a live diet. The study of Pratoomyot et al () found that the sand star, Astropecten indicus Döderlein, 1888, could be used as an alternative live diet during periods when L. multifora is limited in supply. During their maintenance, the sand stars spawned multiple times and were subsequently propagated through several successive generations under aquarium conditions.…”