Adamsia

Adamsia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Subclass: Hexacorallia
Order: Actiniaria
Family: Hormathiidae
Genus: Adamsia
Forbes, 1840
Species

See text.

Adamsia is a genus of sea anemones in the family Hormathiidae. Species in this genus are mutually symbiotic with hermit crabs. The anemone gets a place to live and discarded scraps of the crab's food in exchange for its help in the crab's defence. As these anemones grow, they secrete a horny membrane, known as a carcinoecium, which overlies the crab's original snail shell and expands the living space of the crab. This means the anemone does not have to change substrate and the crab does not have to seek a larger shell as they both grow.[1]

Species

Species within the genus include:[2]

References

  1. "Evolution of sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Hormathiidae) symbiotic with hermit crabs.". Mol Phylogenet Evol. 56: 868–77. Sep 2010. PMID 20457262. doi:10.1016/j.ympev.2010.05.001.
  2. http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=100751 accessed 8 September 2010
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