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Devastation of a fringing coral reef by Acanthaster

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Abstract

A RECENT synopsis of reports on the status of populations of the Crown of Thorns Starfish, Acanthaster planci (L.), in the Indo-West Pacific1, indicates that no extensive destruction of living corals by this starfish has yet been recorded in the western Indian Ocean. Here I present a preliminary account of an aggregated starfish population and extensive mortality of hard corals, observed in May 1973 off the north coast of Grande Comore, Comoro Islands.

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  1. 15 Chemin F.-Lehmann, Grand-Saconnex Geneva, 1218, Switzerland

    N. V. C. POLUNIN

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  1. N. V. C. POLUNIN
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POLUNIN, N. Devastation of a fringing coral reef by Acanthaster. Nature 249, 589–590 (1974). https://doi.org/10.1038/249589a0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/249589a0

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