| Sandy anemone | |
|---|---|
 | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Actiniaria |
| Family: | Actiniidae |
| Genus: | Bunodactis |
| Species: | B. reynaudi |
| Binomial name | |
| Bunodactis reynaudi (Milne Edwards, 1857) | |
The sandy anemone (Bunodactis reynaudi) is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. [1] It is native to very shallow water round the coasts of southern Africa between Luderitz and Durban.
The sandy anemone is a medium-sized anemone of up to 10 cm in diameter. It has over 300 short tentacles. Its body column is covered with sticky knobs to which sand and debris particles adhere. The species has a wide range of colours, including pink, brown, green and blue often with a contrastingly-coloured oral disc. [2]
The sandy anemone is found off the Argentinian coast and around the southern African coast from Luderitz to Durban. It inhabits waters from the intertidal to about 4 metres (13.1 ft) in depth. It is found in pools on the lower shore and in crevices on rocks, often huddled into sandy gullies and round the bases of boulders. Juveniles are often found in mussel beds. [3]
This anemone is often seen crowded together in small gullies with strong wave action. It feeds on mussels, whelks, other molluscs, and urchins. It has an extremely strong contractile sphincter muscle which helps it grip and ingest passing food quickly before it is taken away by the waves. [2] This anemone is larger and particularly abundant in areas where there is strong wave action that tears molluscs from the rocks, and it seems to rely on this turbulence to supply its prey. [4]
Sea anemones lack the free-swimming medusal stage of the lifecycle of the typical Cnidarian; the sandy anemone produces eggs and sperm, and the fertilized egg develops into a planula larva which drifts as part of the plankton before settling on the seabed and developing directly into a juvenile sea anemone.* [5]
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.
The brooding anemone, Halianthella annularis, is a species of sea anemone in the family Halcampidae,.
Anthothoe chilensis, or striped anemone, is a species of sea anemones in the family Sagartiidae.
Anthostella stephensoni, the violet-spotted anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae.
Bunodosoma capense, commonly known as the knobbly anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae.
Pseudactinia flagellifera, the false plum anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is also a member of the kingdom, Animalia.
Anthopleura michaelseni, commonly known as the long-tentacled anemone or crevice anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is native to very shallow water round the coasts of southern Africa between Lüderitz and Durban.
Dinoplax validifossus, the Natal giant chiton, is a large polyplacophoran mollusc in the family Chaetopleuridae, found on the eastern coast of southern Africa. It was originally considered a subspecies of the giant chiton.
Metridium dianthus is a species of sea anemone in the family Metridiidae. It is found in the northern Atlantic Ocean and in the northeast Pacific Ocean. There is also a record from South Africa, possible resulting from an introduction.
The Betty's Bay Marine Protected Area is part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. It is about 29km south-east of Gordon's Bay and approximately 37km north-west of Hermanus on the south-western coast of the Western Cape. It is in the Atlantic Ocean immediately adjacent to the town of Betty's Bay, in the Overstrand Municipal area.
The De Hoop Marine Protected Area lies between Arniston and the mouth of the Breede River on the south coast of South Africa adjacent to the De Hoop Nature Reserve. The MPA is 51 kilometres long, and extends 5 nautical miles to sea. The whole MPA is a restricted area and is part of the migratory route and calving area for Southern right whales. The area protects habitats for several economically important inshore reef fish species, and ensures the retention of marine biomass in this part of the coast. The limestone coastline is includes archaeological sites and middens that date back centuries. The MPA is close to the Breede River estuary and, provides protection for species like cob that breed in the estuary and then return to the ocean.
Parechinus angulosus, the Cape urchin, is a sea urchin in the family Parechinidae endemic to southern Africa. It is the only species in the genus Parechinus.
The Jutten Island Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters of South Africa in Saldanha Bay, in the Western Cape.
The Langebaan Lagoon Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters of South Africa
The Malgas Island Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region encompassing Malgas Island, in the territorial waters of South Africa at the entrance to Saldanha Bay on the west coast of the Western Cape province.
The Stilbaai Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters near Stilbaai on the south coast of the Western Cape province of South Africa.
The Sardinia Bay Marine Protected Area is an inshore conservation region in the territorial waters of the Eastern Cape province, South Africa
The Sixteen Mile Beach Marine Protected Area is a coastal conservation region in the territorial waters of South Africa, near Saldanha Bay on the Western Cape coast. The MPA is part of the West Coast National Park which is the core component of the Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve. The beach stretches from Yzerfontein's Main Beach to the start of the West Coast National Park.
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