Tube-dwelling anemone

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Tube-dwelling anemones
Cerianthus sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Subclass: Ceriantipatharia
Order: Ceriantharia
Families
  • Arachnactidae
  • Botrucnidiferidae
  • Cerianthidae

Tube-dwelling anemones or cerianthids look very similar to sea anemones, but belong to an entirely different subclass of anthozoans. They are solitary, living buried in soft sediments. Tube anemones live and can withdraw into tubes, which are made of a fibrous material, which is made from secreted mucus and threads of nematocyst-like organelles, known as ptychocysts.

Cerianthids have a crown of tentacles that consists of two whorls of distinctly different sized tentacles. The outer whorl consists of large tentacles that extend outwards. These tentacles taper to points and are mostly used in food capture and defence. The smaller inner tentacles are held more erect than the larger lateral tentacles and are used for food manipulation and ingestion.[1]

Taxonomy

Suborder Spirularia contains the following genera:[2]

  • Family Botrucnidiferidae Carlgren, 1912
    • Angianthula Leloup, 1964
    • Atractanthula Leloup, 1964
    • Botracnidifer
    • Botruanthus
    • Botrucnidiata Leloup, 1932
    • Botrucnidifer
    • Calpanthula
    • Cerianthula Beneden, 1898
    • Gymnanthula Leloup, 1964
    • Hensenanthula
    • Ovanthula
    • Sphaeranthula
  • Family Cerianthidae Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1852
    • Anthoactis Leloup, 1932
    • Apiactis Beneden, 1898
    • Bursanthus
    • Ceriantheomorphe
    • Ceriantheopsis Carlgren, 1912
    • Cerianthus Delle Chiaje, 1830
    • Engodactylactis
    • Isodactylactis
    • Nautanthus
    • Pachycerianthus Roule, 1904
    • Paradactylactis
    • Parovactis
    • Peponactis
    • Plesiodactylactis
    • Sacculactis
    • Solasteractis
    • Synarachnactis Carlgren, 1924
    • Syndactylactis
    • Trichactis

Suborder Penicilaria contains the following genera:[3]

  • Family Arachnactidae McMurrich, 1910
    • Anactinia Annandale, 1909
    • Arachnactis Sars, 1846
    • Arachnanthus Carlgren, 1912
    • Dactylactis van Beneden, 1897
    • Isapiactis Carlgren, 1924
    • Isarachnactis Carlgren, 1924
    • Isarachnanthus Carlgren, 1924
    • Isovactis
    • Ovactis
    • Paranactinia

References

  1. ↑ Brusca, R.C. & Brusca, G.J. 2002. Invertebrates Second Edition Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0-87893-097-3
  2. ↑ WoRMS (2011). "Spirularia". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 20, 2012. 
  3. ↑ Tina Molodtsova (2011). "Penicilaria". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 20, 2012. 

Hickman et al. (2008), Integrated Principles of Zoology (14th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-297004-3 

External links

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