Narváez Krupskaya, Zapata Fernando A
Fundación Malpelo y Otros Ecosistemas Marinos, Carrera 11 No. 87-51 Local 4, Bogotá D.C., Colombia.
Rev Biol Trop. 2010 May;58 Suppl 1:139-43. doi: 10.15517/rbt.v58i1.20029.
The crown-of-thorns starfish, Acanthaster planci, is a major coral predator widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific region, where population outbreaks have caused dramatic impacts on coral reefs. In the Tropical Eastern Pacific (TEP) A. planci occurs at low population densities; it has been significantly abundant only in Panama and Cocos Island. We have recently found two individuals of A. planci at Malpelo Island, a small oceanic island with significant coral communities located off the Colombian Pacific coast. The recent discovery of A. planci at Malpelo is significant in light of recent reports of its increased frequency of observation at Cocos Island and occurrence at the Galapagos Islands. The individuals found at Malpelo have been repeatedly sighted since 2004, actively feeding on nine species of coral. Although densities of A. planci are low at Malpelo and other oceanic islands of the TEP, these islands may act as stepping stones for the colonization of other coral reef areas in the region. However, the low densities of A. planci suggest that it currently poses no threat to coral reefs in the TEP.
棘冠海星（Acanthaster planci）是一种主要的珊瑚捕食者，广泛分布于印度-太平洋地区，其种群爆发对珊瑚礁造成了巨大影响。在热带东太平洋（TEP），棘冠海星的种群密度较低；仅在巴拿马和科科斯岛数量显著丰富。我们最近在马尔佩洛岛发现了两只棘冠海星，马尔佩洛岛是位于哥伦比亚太平洋沿岸外的一个小型海洋岛屿，拥有重要的珊瑚群落。鉴于最近有报道称在科科斯岛观察到棘冠海星的频率增加以及在加拉帕戈斯群岛出现，马尔佩洛岛最近发现棘冠海星具有重要意义。自2004年以来，在马尔佩洛岛发现的个体被多次目击，它们积极捕食九种珊瑚。尽管在马尔佩洛岛和TEP的其他海洋岛屿上棘冠海星的密度较低，但这些岛屿可能成为该地区其他珊瑚礁区域殖民化的跳板。然而，棘冠海星的低密度表明它目前对TEP的珊瑚礁不构成威胁。
