| Urticina piscivora | |
|---|---|
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| Urticina piscivora at the Vancouver Aquarium | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Actiniaria |
| Family: | Actiniidae |
| Genus: | Urticina |
| Species: | U. piscivora |
| Binomial name | |
| Urticina piscivora (Sebens & Laakso, 1978) [1] | |
| Synonyms | |
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Urticina piscivora, common names fish-eating anemone and fish-eating urticina, [2] is a northeast Pacific species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. [1]
Urticina piscivora is a large anemone, growing to a maximum height of around 20 cm (8 in) and 10 cm (4 in) in diameter. The column is bright red in colour. The acontia is absent, but it has tubercles. These are not white and are arranged in circumferential rows. Normally they do not accumulate debris such as shells and sand. [2]
This anemone is made up of three layers of cells called the epidermis, the mesoglea and the gastrodermis. The epidermis forms the outermost layer, while the mesoglea is situated between the other two layers. The innermost layer, the gastrodermis also referred to as the gastrovascular cavity functions as the gut of the anemone. The gut of the fish-eating anemone is divided into compartments by sheets of tissue called “septa”. These sheets of tissue develop into tentacles on the surface of the anemone. The tentacles of many species of anemones are found in multiples of six. Unlike other anemone the fish-eating anemone does not possess an acontia, which is thread-like tissue made up of stinging cells that function as a defense mechanism to protect against predators. However this particular anemone does possess tubercles. [3]
This species may be confused with Urticina crassicornis . Although they may both have a red column, the tentacles of U. crassicornis normally have transverse bands, and olive green blotches are commonly found on the column. [2]
This species occurs from Alaska in the north, down to La Jolla, California in the south. [2]
Even though it can be found in intertidal zones as well it most commonly inhabits exposed, rocky Subtidal areas of outer coastlines. [4] It attaches itself to rocky prominences in locations with a substantial current flowing past. [2]
Many species of anemone are monoecious, meaning that each individual organism contains both the male and female reproductive organs of the species. The fish eating anemone on the other hand is dioecious, meaning that it has distinct male and female individual organisms. They reproduce sexually through the external fertilization of egg and sperm. The produced larvae will float in the current until it eventually lands. Afterwards the larvae will attach itself to the bottom develop a pedal disk which will grow to form an anemone. [3]
As its name suggests, this species is capable of capturing and consuming small fishes and shrimp. It does so through the use of its tentacles, stinging its prey with a potent toxin containing Upl protein which paralyzes them. [5] However, Oxylebius pictus (the painted greenling) and Lebbeus grandimanus (candy stripe shrimp) have the ability to remain among the tentacles without being harmed. [2] [6] Their sting can also be severely painful for humans.
Unlike other sea anemone which are mostly sessile, Urticina piscivora has the ability to detach quickly and reposition itself when it feels threatened by a predatory starfish. Since this anemone is unable to actively swim once detached it is deposited elsewhere by the currents. [7]
Anthozoa is a class of marine invertebrates which includes sessile cnidarians such as the sea anemones, stony corals, soft corals and sea pens. Adult anthozoans are almost all attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as planktons. 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 spotted cleaner shrimp, is a kind of cleaner shrimp common to the Caribbean Sea. These shrimp live among the tentacles of several species of sea anemones. They sway their body and wave their antennae in order to attract fish from which they eat dead tissue, algae and parasites.
Actiniidae is the largest family of sea anemones, to which most common, temperate, shore species belong. Most members of this family do not participate in symbioses with fishes. Three exceptions are the bubble-tip anemone, snakelocks anemone and Urticina piscivora.
Mesoglea refers to the extracellular matrix found in cnidarians like coral or jellyfish as well as ctenophores that functions as a hydrostatic skeleton. It is related to but distinct from mesohyl, which generally refers to extracellular material found in sponges.
The painted greenling is a species of marine ray-finned fish belonging to the family Zaniolepididae, which includes this species and the combfishes. It is endemic to the northeast Pacific Ocean. It is the only species in the genus Oxylebius.
Cribrinopsis fernaldi, also known as the crimson anemone, snakelock anemone, chevron-tentacle anemone and Fernald brooding anemone, is a sea anemone native to the Pacific Ocean off northwestern North America.
Aeolidia papillosa, known as the common grey sea slug, is a species of nudibranch in the family Aeolidiidae.
Urticina crassicornis, commonly known as the mottled anemone, the painted anemone or the Christmas anemone, is a large and common intertidal and subtidal species of sea anemone. Its habitat includes a large portion of the coastal areas of the northern hemisphere, mainly polar regions, and it lives a solitary life for up to 80 years. Mottled anemones are similar to Dahlia anemones and both are commonly referred to as northern red anemones.
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.
Anthopleura xanthogrammica, or the giant green anemone, is a species of intertidal sea anemone of the family Actiniidae.
Calliactis parasitica is a species of sea anemone associated with hermit crabs. It lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea at depths between the intertidal zone and 60 m (200 ft). It is up to 10 cm × 8 cm in size, with up to 700 tentacles, and is very variable in colour. The relationship between C. parasitica and the hermit crab is mutualistic: the sea anemone protects the hermit crab with its stings, and benefits from the food thrown up by the hermit crab's movements.
Epiactis prolifera, the brooding, proliferating or small green anemone, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Actiniidae. It is found in the north-eastern Pacific. It has a feature rare among animals in that all individuals start life as females but develop testes later in their lives to become hermaphrodites.
Urticina is a genus of relatively large and often colorful sea anemones in the family Actiniidae from the North Pacific, North Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.
Urticina eques is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is commonly known as the white-spotted rose anemone or strawberry anemone.
Bartholomea annulata is a species of sea anemone in the family Aiptasiidae, commonly known as the ringed anemone or corkscrew anemone. It is one of the most common anemones found on reefs in the Caribbean Sea.
Lebrunia neglecta is a species of sea anemone in the family Aliciidae. It is found in the Caribbean Sea and Gulf of Mexico.
Urticina columbiana, common names crusty red anemone, Columbia sand anemone, sand anemone, and the sand-rose anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae.
The Enthemonae is a suborder of sea anemones in the order Actiniaria. It comprises those sea anemones with typical arrangement of mesenteries for actiniarians.
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.
Epiactis ritteri, the sandy anemone or Ritter's brooding anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean on the western coast of North America in the shallow sub-littoral zone.
