Actinia mediterranea

Last updated

Contents

Actinia mediterranea
Actinia schmidti.JPG
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Actiniaria
Family: Actiniidae
Genus: Actinia
Species:
A. mediterranea
Binomial name
Actinia mediterranea
Schmidt, 1971
Synonyms
  • Actinia equina mediterraneaSchmidt, 1971
  • Actinia schmidtiMonteiro, Sole-Cava & Thorpe, 1997

Actinia mediterranea is a common sea anemone found on rocky shores all along its range in the Mediterranean Sea, Portuguese shores and the coast of north western Africa. [1] Because of its strong resemblance with Actinia equina , they are often confused and share certain common names as Beadlet anemone.

Description

Actinia mediterranea is a solitary anemone fixed on rocks with its cylindrical foot used as a suction pad. Underwater, this anemone displays a large number of short and retractable tentacles arranged in six concentric rows. [1] The soft body is smooth and bright red with a fine blue border at the foot base. This characteristic blue border is a distinctive point to make the difference with Actinia equina, but size also can help as Actinia mediterranea is a bit larger (5 to 7 cm) than its close relative (3 to 5 cm). [1]

Habitat

Actinia mediterranea lives in the intertidal zone, fixed on rocks usually hidden from the direct sunlight, and can be found both in exposed and sheltered places. This anemone is highly adapted to hard living conditions and can tolerate tides, temperature and salinity variations and also desiccation. [1] During low tide, the tentacles retract and the anemone resembles a compact blob of red like a small tomato.

Biology

Actinia mediterranea leads a benthic way of life and is an active carnivore, catching its prey at night by displaying its stinging tentacles. Its diet consists in zooplankton, small fish, tiny crustaceans and organic detritus drifting in the water. [1]

Even if the urticant power of its tentacles is relatively low and is not felt at the level of our hands, it is highly recommended to wash one's hands after having manipulated a species of Actinia because some urticant cells may stay on the hands and they constitute a risk of allergic reaction or burning sensations if a sensitive body part, such as eyelids or lips, get in contact with those residual cells.

Related Research Articles

<i>Heteractis magnifica</i> Species of sea anemone

Heteractis magnifica, also known by the common names magnificent sea anemone or Ritteri anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the Stichodactylidae family native to the Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aggregating anemone</span> Species of sea anemone

The aggregating anemone, or clonal anemone, is the most abundant species of sea anemone found on rocky, tide swept shores along the Pacific coast of North America. This cnidarian hosts endosymbiotic algae called zooxanthellae that contribute substantially to primary productivity in the intertidal zone. The aggregating anemone has become a model organism for the study of temperate cnidarian-algal symbioses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sebae anemone</span> Species of sea anemone

The sebae anemone, also known as leathery sea anemone, long tentacle anemone, or purple tip anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the family Stichodactylidae and native to the Indo-Pacific area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Starlet sea anemone</span> Species of sea anemone

The starlet sea anemone is a species of small sea anemone in the family Edwardsiidae native to the east coast of the United States, with introduced populations along the coast of southeast England and the west coast of the United States. Populations have also been located in Nova Scotia, Canada. This sea anemone is found in the shallow brackish water of coastal lagoons and salt marshes where its slender column is usually buried in the mud and its tentacles exposed. Its genome has been sequenced and it is cultivated in the laboratory as a model organism, but the IUCN has listed it as being a "Vulnerable species" in the wild.

<i>Actinia fragacea</i> Species of sea anemone

Actinia fragacea, commonly known as the strawberry anemone, is a species of sea anemone of the order Actiniaria, that occurs from Norway to Africa, including adjacent islands and the Mediterranean. It is generally found on rocks of the lower shoreline and depths up to 8–10 metres (26–33 ft).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Beadlet anemone</span> Species of cnidarian, a sea anemone

The beadlet anemone is a common sea anemone found on rocky shores around all coasts of the British Isles. Its range extends to the rest of Western Europe and the Mediterranean Sea, and along the Atlantic coast of Africa as far south as South Africa and Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea anemone</span> Marine animals of the order Actiniaria

Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the Anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Hexacorallia. As cnidarians, sea anemones are related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones, and Hydra. Unlike jellyfish, sea anemones do not have a medusa stage in their life cycle.

<i>Anthopleura xanthogrammica</i> Species of coral

Anthopleura xanthogrammica, or the giant green anemone, is a species of intertidal sea anemone of the family Actiniidae.

<i>Actinia tenebrosa</i> Species of sea anemone

Actinia tenebrosa, commonly known as the waratah anemone, is the most common species of sea anemone found in the waters of eastern Australia and New Zealand. It is found relatively high on the seashore, in rock pools, and various cracks and shaded surfaces such as under rock overhangs in the intertidal zone.

<i>Actinia</i> Genus of sea anemones

Actinia is a genus of sea anemones in the family Actiniidae. Actinia display a rare form of heteromorphosis in which a cut inflicted on a specimen can develop into a second mouth.

<i>Metridium senile</i> Species of sea anemone

Metridium senile, the Plumose, Fluffy, or Frilled anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Metridiidae. As a member of the genus Metridium, it is a type of plumose anemone and is found in the seas off north-western Europe and both the east and west coasts of North America.

<i>Sagartia elegans</i> Species of sea anemone

Sagartia elegans, the elegant anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Sagartiidae. It is found in coastal areas of northwest Europe at depths down to 50 metres.

<i>Metridium farcimen</i> Species of sea anemone

Metridium farcimen is a species of sea anemone in the family Metridiidae. It is commonly known as the giant plumose anemone or white-plumed anemone. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska down to Catalina Island, California.

<i>Triactis</i> Genus of sea anemones

Triactis is a genus of sea anemone in the family Aliciidae. It is monotypic, having only one species – Triactis producta. This species is found in shallow waters in the Indo-Pacific where it lives on the seabed, rocks and corals. It derives much of its energy needs from the symbiotic algae it contains. It also forms a mutualistic relationship with small Lybia crabs.

<i>Anthothoe albocincta</i> Species of sea anemone

Anthothoe albocincta, or white-striped anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Sagartiidae. It is native to the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

<i>Urticina piscivora</i> Species of sea anemone

Urticina piscivora, common names fish-eating anemone and fish-eating urticina, is a northeast Pacific species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae.

<i>Actinia striata</i> Species of sea anemone

Actinia striata is a species of sea anemone endemic to the Mediterranean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Granny (sea anemone)</span> Celebrated long-lived 19th-century specimen

Granny was the affectionate name eventually given to a beadlet sea anemone, Actinia equina, which in 1828 was taken from a rocky shore at North Berwick in Scotland by an amateur naturalist, John Dalyell. During her long life through the Victorian era, she was cared for by a series of Edinburgh naturalists. Long outliving Dalyell, this sea anemone lived alone in a jar where she gave birth to several hundred offspring before her death in 1887.

<i>Pycnogonum litorale</i> Species of sea spider

Pycnogonum litorale is a marine arthropod in the family Pycnogonidae, the sea spiders. It is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel and the western Mediterranean Sea.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Actinia equina / schmidti (Linnaeus, 1758) / Monteiro, Sole-Cava & Thorpe, 1997". DORIS - FFESSM - Biologie et plongée - Faune et flore sous-marines et dulcicoles