Quantitative distribution of the starfish in some bays of the far east

Abstract

The quantitative distribution of the starfish was analyzed in Vostok Bay, Nakhodka Bay, and Kievka Bay (the Sea of Japan). Nine species were found. Three species of Asteroidea dominated (Asterina pectinifera, Asterias amurensis, and Leptasterias sp.). The population density of A. pectinifera and A. amurensis was higher in the shallow waters compared to the sublittoral zone. The frequency of the occurrence, the biomass, and the population density of Leptasterias sp. were the highest for the shallow waters and decreased accordingly when the water temperature decline on the transect from Vostok Bay to Kievka Bay. In Kievka Bay, which was characterized by the lowest water temperatures, Leptasterias sp. dominated in the littoral and sublittoral zones followed by A. pectinifera and A. amurensis.