About Fromia indica (Perrier, 1869)
Fromia indica can reach a diameter of about 7.5 cm (3.0 in) to 10 cm (3.9 in). Young individuals are bright red, usually with black tips to their arms (though this is not always present), and their red color becomes duller when they reach maturity. This species is often described as red with a fine mesh of interconnected black lines; this distinctive pattern sets it apart from its black-spotted sister species, Fromia milleporella. While this sea star normally has five arms (also called rays), some individuals have been found with six arms during regeneration. This species occurs in the Indian Ocean and Western Pacific. Its range extends west to the Andaman Islands and Sri Lanka, east to the Fiji Islands, north to Japan, and south to Australia. Its recorded geographic range spans from -23.5 to 18.85 degrees latitude, and from -162 to 178.53 degrees longitude. It is frequently imported for the aquarium fish trade through Sri Lanka. It inhabits lagoons and outer reefs, living on all types of substrates, in water temperatures between 24 °C (75 °F) and 28 °C (83 °F). It is found at depths ranging from 1.5 m (4 ft 11 in) or less up to 10 m (33 ft), and occasionally as deep as 25 m (82 ft). It feeds on detritus, microalgae, small benthic invertebrates, and other organic matter, and has been reported to eat weakened fish that are close to death.
