| Acanthaster | |
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| Acanthaster planci | |
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Asteroidea |
| Order: | Valvatida |
| Family: | Acanthasteridae |
| Genus: | Acanthaster Gervais, 1841[1] |
| Species | |
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2, See text.
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| Synonyms[1] | |
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Acanthaster is a bitypic genus of large and venomous starfish placed in its own family, Acanthasteridae. Its two members are known as crown-of-thorns starfish. Acanthaster are native to coral reefs in Indo-Pacific region.[2]
The species in this genus are a contributor to coral reef degradation because they prey on a large amount of live coral at high density.[2][3][4]
These species are listed in the World Register of Marine Species:[1]
| Image | Scientific name | Distribution |
|---|---|---|
 |
Acanthaster brevispinus Fisher, 1917 | western Pacific Ocean, southeast Asia |
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Acanthaster planci (Linnaeus, 1758) | Indo-Pacific |
Some sources add Acanthaster ellisi, (Gray, 1840) but it is now considered as a subspecies of A. planci in the eastern Pacific.[5]
Recent molecular work has suggested that Acanthaster planci is a species complex of up to 4 different species that have yet to be separately described (Vogler et al., 2008).
Haszprunar, Vogler & Wörheide (2017)[6] suggest to split "A. planci" in :
![Lab hybrid of A. planci and A. brevispinus[8]](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Acanthaster_brevispinus_hybrid.JPG)
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Authority control databases: National  |
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