Linckia guildingii Breeding Guide: Comet Star Autotomy
The common comet star sheds arms by autotomy; detached comets regenerate into new stars. Its broadcast spawning is not reproduced in home aquaria.
Overview
Linckia guildingii, the common comet star (also Guilding's sea star or green Linckia), is a sea star of the family Ophidiasteridae reported from shallow tropical waters of the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and the Caribbean Sea. In the hobby it appears in tan-pink tones and frequently shows one large arm with several small regenerating arms, the classic comet look.
Reproductive Mode
The species reproduces sexually by broadcast spawning and asexually by autotomy. As with other Linckia, the asexual route via comets is the visible, characteristic mode, while the sexual pathway proceeds through planktonic larvae out of reach of home culture.
Asexual Propagation
L. guildingii sometimes exhibits autotomy, shedding one or more arms. The detached arms, called comets, can move about independently and develop into new individuals, a form of asexual reproduction. Detachment is gradual: most fractures occur about 2.5 cm from the disc, beginning as a small crack on the lower surface that spreads upward; tube feet pull the parts apart over roughly an hour. Damaged tissue heals in about 10 days and a new arm grows over several months.
Sexual Reproduction
Sexual reproduction follows the general asteroid pattern of free-spawned gametes producing bipinnaria and brachiolaria larvae that live as plankton before settling. This dispersal-dependent cycle is not completed in aquaria, so captive increase, if any, comes from comet regeneration.