Meeting Abstract
Arm loss and regeneration in asteroids has been hypothesized to be an important factor that regulates population size. In order to better characterize the state of regenerating arms both between and within species found in the waters surrounding Florida, preserved specimens collected from 1963 – 2015 and stored at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Research Institute were assessed for the presence of regenerating arms. Out of 9316 specimens in the collections, 11.3 % had at least 1 arm regenerating. The incidence of regeneration (% individuals with 1 or more arms regenerating out of total specimens collected) varied between species (1.1 – 40.2 %), but occurred at all depths commonly sampled (< 100 m). Not surprisingly, less robust species such as the luidiids had higher incidences of regeneration and a higher number of arms per individual that were in a state of regeneration. Among species, the average body size (length of longest intact arm) of regenerating individuals ranged from 18.9 to 122.8 mm with Luidia lawrencei, the species with the greatest number of specimens (n = 1594) and number of regenerating individuals (n = 424), at an average of 85.4 ± 1.0 mm (mean ± s.e.m.) body size. The greatest number of regenerating individuals (all species) occurred at a salinity of 35.41 ± 0.10 (mean ± sem, n = 275). Several robust species were also found with regenerating arms, including species that have not been previously documented. In addition to regenerating arms, aberrations in the number of arms and in the regeneration process (e.g., split arms) were observed. Although the collection methods (timing, location, depth, method of collection) were not systematic, the results of this study highlight the knowledge that can be gained from access to institute and museum collections.
