About Charonia Research

Charonia Research

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What are tritons?
Tritons are a shellfish. The animal is like a slug and can extend from its shell for at least a shell length. Charonia tritonis is the scientific name of the Giant Triton. This very large and beautiful shell is both extensively collected and a voracious predator of the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish (Acanthaster planci). The diet of the triton shell has been known since the 1960s and similar species occur in every ocean of the world feeding primarily on starfish.

What do starfish do?
There are many species of starfish worldwide. Intense controversy only surrounds the Crown-of-Thorns Starfish. Of interest, it occurs only in the Indian and Pacific Oceans, with Atlantic reefs being free of this coral predator. This starfish feeds on the thin living tissue of most species of hard coral. On many reefs, it undergoes population outbreak cycles that result in massive destruction of the hard corals. On the Great Barrier Reef in Australia, there have been three of these cycles since the 1960s. In any area, as their coral food becomes scarce, the starfish disappear. As the coral regrows, the starfish return in large numbers.

What does Charonia Research do?
It was originally our intention to attempt to fill in the gaps in our meagre knowledge of this starfish predator. It quickly became apparent that, while we knew so little about this animal, there was very little interest in finding out about its basic ecology. There was a general opinion that it was too dificult. While larval rearing has been achieved by other workers in Japan and Thailand, no settled shells have yet been reared. To date, there has still been virtually no study of the effect of triton predation on starfish populations. There is also little known about the general biology of this extremely beautiful and extensively collected shell.

What can we do?
If you are aware of any related research being conducted then Email us the details. Please let us know if you are interested in the trade or any other project. We need collaborators particularly regarding mariculture and its enormous potential when finally successful.

This Internet site hopes to illustrate both the wonders of a coral reef and the importance of natural predators in the dynamics of its ecological processes.