| Amphianthus dohrnii | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Anthozoa |
| Order: | Actiniaria |
| Family: | Amphianthidae |
| Genus: | Amphianthus |
| Species: | A. dohrnii |
| Binomial name | |
| Amphianthus dohrnii (Koch, 1878) [1] | |
| Synonyms [1] | |
List
| |
Amphianthus dohrnii, the sea fan anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Hormathiidae. It occurs in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea and grows on sea fans.
Amphianthus dohrnii is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the western end of the Mediterranean Sea. It is scarce on the west coast of Scotland but more plentiful in southwestern Britain and in the western and southern parts of Ireland. It is present on the west coast of France and the westernmost parts of the Mediterranean at depths down to about 1,000 m (3,281 ft). It tolerates both strong and weak currents and both plenty of, and little, wave action. [2] It seems to grow exclusively on the stems of gorgonian corals, primarily the northern sea fan ( Swiftia pallida ) in the north of its range, and the pink sea fan ( Eunicella verrucosa ) in the south. [3]
Amphianthus dohrnii is a small species, seldom exceeding 1 cm (0.4 in) in diameter, though the base, where it adheres to the substrate, may be up to 25 mm (1.0 in) long. It has about eighty short, tapering tentacles and is red, orange, pinkish or buff, with irregular translucent white markings. [4] [5]
Reproduction is mostly by basal laceration, a form of asexual reproduction. The sea anemone crawls along a hard surface and pieces of tissue become detached and grow into new individuals. However, it is likely that sexual reproduction sometimes takes place, as otherwise this species would be unlikely to be so widely dispersed. [5] Amphianthus dohrnii was at one time common in both the Mediterranean and the English Channel, but it seems now to be absent from the former and increasingly rare in the latter. [6] In British waters, the sea fan Eunicella verrucosa has declined, possibly being damaged by dredging or in association with higher sea temperatures, and the already rare Amphianthus dohrnii has become scarcer. [7]
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.
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).
Eunicella verrucosa, the broad sea fan, pink sea fan or warty gorgonian, is a species of colonial Gorgonian "soft coral" in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea.
The short-snouted seahorse is a species of seahorse in the family Syngnathidae. It was endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and parts of the North Atlantic, particularly around Italy and the Canary Islands. In 2007, colonies of the species were discovered in the River Thames around London and Southend-on-Sea.
Zostera noltii is a species of seagrass known by the common name dwarf eelgrass. It is found in shallow coastal waters in north western Europe, the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and Aral Sea and on islands in the Atlantic off the coast of northwest Africa. It is an important part of the intertidal and shallow subtidal ecosystems of estuaries, bays and lagoons.
Pocillopora verrucosa, commonly known as cauliflower coral, rasp coral, or knob-horned coral, is a species of stony coral in the family Pocilloporidae. It is native to tropical and subtropical parts of the Indian and Pacific Oceans.
Aulactinia verrucosa, the gem anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is found on rocky coasts in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, North Sea and Mediterranean Sea.
Swiftia pallida is a species of gorgonian-type octocoral in the family Plexauridae sometimes known as the northern sea fan. At one time it was considered to be a subspecies of Swiftia rosea.
Swiftia rosea is a species of gorgonian-type octocoral in the family Plexauridae.
Eunicella cavolini, commonly known as the yellow gorgonian or yellow sea whip, is a species of colonial soft coral in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to parts of the eastern Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Ionian Sea where it is a common species.
Leptogorgia sarmentosa is a species of colonial soft coral, a sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae. It is native to the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the western Mediterranean Sea, with a single find in the eastern Mediterranean.
Alcyonium coralloides, commonly known as false coral, is a colonial species of soft coral in the family Alcyoniidae. It is native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. In the former location it generally grows as sheets or small lobes but in the latter it is parasitic and overgrows sea fans.
Eunicella singularis, the white gorgonian, is a species of colonial soft coral, a sea fan in the family Gorgoniidae. It is found in the western Mediterranean Sea, Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea. It was first described in 1791 by the German naturalist Eugenius Johann Christoph Esper.
Leptopsammia pruvoti, the sunset cup coral, is a solitary stony coral in the family Dendrophylliidae. It is an azooxanthellate species, meaning its tissues do not contain the symbiotic unicellular algae (zooxanthellae) of the genus Symbiodinium, as do most corals. It is native to the Mediterranean Sea. The species was described by Henri de Lacaze-Duthiers in 1897 and named to honor the French marine biologist Georges Pruvot.
Aeolidiella alderi is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch in the family Aeolidiidae. It is native to northwestern Europe where it occurs in the intertidal zone. It is a predator and feeds on sea anemones.
Diadumene cincta is a small and delicate, usually orange, sea anemone. It has a smooth slender column and up to 200 long tentacles, and normally grows to a length of up to 35 mm (1.4 in), with a base of 10 mm (0.4 in), but specimens twice this size have been recorded. Diadumene cincta is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean.
Anthopleura stellula is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is found in the Indian Ocean and the Red Sea, and is unusual among sea anemones in that it can divide itself in two transversely.
Corynactis viridis, the jewel anemone, is a brightly coloured anthozoan similar in body form to a sea anemone or a scleractinian coral polyp, but in the order Corallimorpharia. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea and was first described by the Irish naturalist George Allman in 1846.
Bugulina flabellata is a species of bryozoan belonging to the family Bugulidae. It is found in shallow water in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.