| Palythoa toxica | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Zoantharia |
| Family: | Sphenopidae |
| Genus: | Palythoa |
| Species: | P. toxica |
| Binomial name | |
| Palythoa toxica | |
Palythoa toxica, also referred to by its Hawaiian common name, limu-make-o-Hana ('seaweed of death from Hana'), is a species of zoanthid native to Hawaii. [3] It is notable as the species in which palytoxin was discovered and from which it was first isolated. [4]
P. toxica is an encrusting species with a firm, tough cuticle. [5] The polyps are partially embedded in a cushiony mat of coenenchyme which grows across the rock surface, and which incorporates sand grains and fragments of debris. The oral disc of each polyp is broad and has a fringe of tentacles. The polyps can close up and be retracted into the coenenchyme, which then displays a pitted surface. The colour of this species is variable but is usually some shade of cream, grey or pale brown. [6] [7]
A Hawaiian legend relates how in a rock pool in the Hana district on the island of Maui there was to be found an alga known to the locals as "limu-make-o-Hana" ('seaweed of death from Hana'). The exact location of the pool was known to only a few individuals and visiting it was taboo. In 1961, intrigued by this, researchers searched for the location and discovered the zoanthid. [8] Although advised by local people not to do so, they took some specimens away with them. On that very day, the laboratories of the Hawaiian Institute of Marine Biology on Coconut Island, Oahu were destroyed by fire. [3] The toxic effects of this species were known to the early inhabitants of Hawaii, and the zoanthids were applied by them to the tips of their weapons, [5] or according to one account, under severe threat, the warriors could overcome the taboo and dip their spear tips into the pool for them to become lethal. [9]
P. toxica was first discovered in the small district of Muolea on the island of Maui in Hawaii. Its habitat was a shallow pool about 10 in (25 cm) deep which was subject to inflows of fresh water during periods of heavy rainfall, so it would appear to be a euryhaline species. [10] The zoanthid has since been discovered in a few other locations in the Hawaiian islands.
P. toxica contains palytoxin, one of the most poisonous substances known. [9] This zoanthid is not the only member of its genus to contain the toxin; that distinction is shared by P. tuberculosa . The latter species has a seasonal cycle, varying in toxicity at different times of year, whereas P. toxica is equally toxic all year round. [10] Other species of Palythoa have also been shown to contain the substance in varying amounts at different times and in different places, and some algae and certain crabs and fish have been found to contain it. It has been suggested that the toxin is actually produced by a dinoflagellate, Ostreopsis spp., and incorporated into the zoanthid tissues, possibly through a symbiotic relationship similar to that of zooxanthellae in coral. [11]
Fishkeepers keep P. toxica and other species of the genus in reef aquariums. [6] [7] This practice has led to poisonings of hobbyists who have carelessly handled the organisms. [12] [13] [14] [15] [16]
Maui is the second largest island in the Hawaiian archipelago, at 727.2 square miles (1,883 km2). It is the 17th-largest in the United States. Maui is one of Maui County's five islands, along with Molokaʻi, Lānaʻi, Kahoʻolawe, and Molokini.
Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates which includes the sea anemones, stony corals and soft corals. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as part of the plankton. The basic unit of the adult is the polyp; this consists of a cylindrical column topped by a disc with a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. Sea anemones are mostly solitary, but the majority of corals are colonial, being formed by the budding of new polyps from an original, founding individual. Colonies are strengthened by calcium carbonate and other materials and take various massive, plate-like, bushy or leafy forms.
The Maui Ocean Center is an aquarium and oceanography center located in Maalaea, Hawaii, on the island of Maui. Opened on March 13, 1998, by Coral World International, the 3 acres facility is the largest living tropical reef aquarium in the Western Hemisphere. Their exhibits include colorful displays of live coral reef habitats, diverse collections of endemic Hawaiian fish species, and up-close viewing of sea turtles, stingrays, sharks, and various sea creatures.
Ulva lactuca, also known by the common name sea lettuce, is an edible green alga in the family Ulvaceae. It is the type species of the genus Ulva. A synonym is U. fenestrata, referring to its "windowed" or "holed" appearance, Despite the name, it is not a lettuce
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Amnesic shellfish poisoning (ASP) is an illness caused by consumption of shellfish that contain the marine biotoxin called domoic acid. In mammals, including humans, domoic acid acts as a neurotoxin, causing permanent short-term memory loss, brain damage, and death in severe cases.
Moorea producens is a species of filamentous cyanobacteria in the genus Moorea, including tropical marine strains formerly classified as Lyngbya majuscula due to morphological resemblance but separated based on genetic evidence. Moorea producens grows on seagrass and is one of the causes of the human skin irritation seaweed dermatitis. It is known as fireweed in Australia and stinging limu in Hawaii.
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Limu, otherwise known as rimu, remu or ʻimu is a general Polynesian term for edible plants living underwater, such as seaweed, or plants living near water, like algae. In Hawaii, there are approximately one hundred names for kinds of limu, sixty of which can be matched with scientific names. Hundreds of species of marine algae were once found in Hawaii. Many limu are edible, and used in the cuisine throughout most of Polynesia.
Cephalopholis argus, the peacock hind, roi, bluespotted grouper, and celestial grouper, is a species of marine ray-finned fish, a member of the subfamily Epinephelinae, the groupers, and part of the family Serranidae, which also includes the anthias and sea basses. They come from the Indo-Pacific which is variously a commercial gamefish, an invasive species, and occasionally an aquarium resident. Its species name comes from its resemblance to the "hundred staring eyes" of the monster Argus who had a hundred eyes and was the shepherd of the goddess Hera in Greek mythology.
Isabella Aiona Abbott was an educator, phycologist, and ethnobotanist from Hawaii. The first native Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in science, she became a leading expert on Pacific marine algae.
Umimayanthus parasiticus, commonly known as the sponge zoanthid, is a species of coral in the order Zoantharia which grows symbiotically on several species of sponge. It is found in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
Parazoanthus swiftii, commonly known as the golden zoanthid, is a species of coral in the order Zoantharia which grows symbiotically on several species of sponge. It is found in shallow waters in the Caribbean Sea and western Atlantic Ocean.
Hawaiian gold coral is a rare, extremely long-lived deep-sea coral found on seamounts near Hawaii. It is the only member of the monotypic genus Kulamanamana. Most colonies can live up to 2,470 years, based on a study using radiocarbon dating. In the Hawaiian Archipelago of the North Pacific Ocean, the Hawaiian gold coral is a crucial species to the ecology of Hawaiian seamounts. This is because it is a dominant macro-invertebrate found in the deep sea, and thus provides an important habitat for an array of invertebrates and fish. Gold coral tissue is reflective under light, and colonies are bioluminescent when mechanically stimulated, or touched. It is predicted that this bioluminescence perhaps attracts prey, however more research is needed to determine exactly what purpose it serves. Although it has been harvested commercially for use in jewelry for a long time, it was not formally described by taxonomists until 2012 when it was found to be related to both the genus Savalia and the octocoral-associated zoanthid, Corallizoanthus tsukaharai. Prior to being formally classified and named Kulamanamana haumeaae, the Hawaiian gold coral was previously known as Gerardia sp.
Palythoa is a genus of anthozoans in the order Zoantharia.
Chrysogorgia elegans is a species of soft coral in the family Chrysogorgiidae. It is found in the Gulf of Mexico, the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean. Soft coral can also be referred to as sea fans, sea whips, sea feathers, and sea pens.
Ostreopsis is a genus of free-living dinoflagellates found in marine environments. Some species are benthic; the planktonic species in the genus are known for the toxic algal blooms that they sometimes cause, threatening human and animal health.
Formerly known as Sargassum echinocarpum, Sargassum aquifolium is an abundant brown algae of the order Fucales, class Phaeophyceae, genus Sargassum. In Hawaii, it is commonly known as limu kala. This alga is endemic to Hawaiʻi, one out of the four endemic species of Sargassum.
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