title: Lethal doses of oxbile, peptones and thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS) for Acanthaster planci; exploring alternative population control options.
abstract: Effective control of outbreaks of Acanthaster planci represents the most immediate and practical intervention to reverse sustained declines in coral cover on reefs in the Indo-Pacific. This study explored the minimum doses of oxbile, oxgall, and thiosulfate-citrate-bile-sucrose agar (TCBS) that result in reliable and comprehensive mortality when injected into adult A. planci. The minimum doses required to induce 100% mortality among starfish (n=10) were 4 g l(-1) of oxbile, 8 g l(-1) of oxgall and 22 g l(-1) of TCBS. Moreover, there was no evidence of unintended side effects for other coral reef organisms (e.g., scleractinian corals, echinoderms and fishes) when using oxbile, oxgall, or TCBS at minimum doses. The effectiveness of peptones in killing crown-of-thorns starfish was also tested, but inconsistency in the results revealed that these proteins are unreliable.
authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4812, Australia; Australian Institute of Marine Science, PMB No. 3, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia. Electronic address: jairo.rivera@jcu.edu.au.
authors: Jairo
authors: J
authors: Rivera-Posada
authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4812, Australia.
authors: Ciemon F
authors: CF
authors: Caballes
authors: ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University, Townsville, Queensland 4812, Australia.
authors: Morgan S
authors: MS
authors: Pratchett
mesh_terms: D000362:Agar / Q000633:toxicity; D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000633:toxicity*; D010461:Peptones / Q000633:toxicity*; D010679:Philippines; D011155:Population Control / Q000379:methods; D013215:Starfish / Q000187:drug effects*; D013885:Thiosulfates / Q000633:toxicity
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances; D010461:Peptones; D013885:Thiosulfates; D000362:Agar
keywords: Control efforts; Coral reefs; Crown-of-thorns starfish; Management; Oxbile; Philippines