Venus flytrap sea anemone

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Venus flytrap sea anemone
Actinoscyphia aurelia 1.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Actiniaria
Family: Actinoscyphiidae
Genus: Actinoscyphia
Species:
A. aurelia
Binomial name
Actinoscyphia aurelia
(Stephenson, 1918) [1]
Synonyms [1]

Actinernus aureliaStephenson, 1918 [2]

The Venus flytrap sea anemone (Actinoscyphia aurelia) is a large sea anemone that superficially resembles a Venus flytrap. It closes its tentacles to capture prey or to protect itself. It is a deep ocean species.

Contents

Distribution

Actinoscyphia aurelia Actinoscyphia aurelia.jpg
Actinoscyphia aurelia

This sea anemone is found in muddy situations at bathyal depths in deep water canyons in the Gulf of Mexico. It has also been observed at several sites in the upwelling region off the coast of West Africa as well as the American Samoan region of the Pacific, but is uncommon elsewhere. [3]

Biology

Venus flytrap sea anemone is a passive suspension feeder, and orients itself on its often slender column so that it faces the upwelling current. [4] Its pedal disc is small, and its tentacles are short compared to the large, concave oral disc, which is funnel or mushroom-shaped. It extends its tentacles in two rows, one reflexed back and one sloping forward, and collects food particles as they drift past. [3] [5] Although usually considered sessile, the Venus flytrap sea anemone sometimes moves, particularly as a juvenile. [5]

During deep water research off Cap Blanc, Mauritania, at depths between 1,000 and 2,000 metres (3,300 and 6,600 ft), the Venus flytrap sea anemone and the irregular sea urchin Pourtalesia miranda were found to dominate the benthic community. [4]

In 2004 a mass mortality event occurred adjoining an oil pipeline off the Ivory Coast. Large numbers of the tunicate Pyrosoma atlanticum were involved, the moribund carcasses sinking to the seabed and accumulating in canyons and by the pipeline. Species found feeding on the gelatinous detritus varied by depth. At a depth of 900 metres (3,000 ft) few fish were present, but Venus flytrap sea anemones were numerous. Other scavenging invertebrates at this depth included the sea anemone Actinostola sp., the sea pen Pennatula sp., the sea urchins Phormosoma sp. and Mesothuria sp., brittle stars in the family Ophiolepididae, the penaeid shrimp Parapenaeus sp. and the sea spider Colossendeis sp. [6]

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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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pyrosome</span> Genus of marine filter-feeders

Pyrosomes, genus Pyrosoma, are free-floating colonial tunicates that usually live in the upper layers of the open ocean in warm seas, although some may be found at greater depths. Pyrosomes are cylindrical or cone-shaped colonies up to 18 m (60 ft) long, made up of hundreds to thousands of individuals, known as zooids. Colonies range in size from less than one centimeter to several metres in length. They are commonly called "sea pickles". Other nicknames include "sea worms", "sea squirts", "fire bodies", and "cockroaches of the sea".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actiniidae</span> Family of sea anemones

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.

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

Actinoscyphia is a genus of sea anemones of the family Actinoscyphiidae.

<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">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>Liponema brevicorne</i> Species of sea anemone

Liponema brevicorne, commonly known as pom-pom anemone or tentacle shedding anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is a deep water species and has been relatively little observed. It often remains unattached to a substrate and can roll across the ocean floor propelled by water currents.

<i>Echinus tylodes</i> Species of sea urchin

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<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>Diadumene lineata</i> Species of sea anemone

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<i>Adamsia palliata</i> Species of sea anemone

Adamsia palliata is a species of sea anemone in the family Hormathiidae. It is usually found growing on a gastropod shell inhabited by the hermit crab, Pagurus prideaux. The anemone often completely envelops the shell and because of this it is commonly known as the cloak anemone or the hermit-crab anemone.

<i>Pyrosoma atlanticum</i> Species of marine filter feeder

Pyrosoma atlanticum is a pelagic species of marine colonial tunicate in the class Thaliacea found in temperate waters worldwide. The name of the genus comes from the Greek words pyros meaning 'fire' and soma meaning 'body', referring to the bright bioluminescence sometimes emitted. The specific epithet atlanticum refers to the Atlantic Ocean, from where the first specimen of the species was collected for scientific description; it was described in 1804 by François Péron, a French naturalist.

<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.

Ocean Networks Canada is a world-leading research and ocean observing facility hosted and owned by the University of Victoria, and managed by the not-for profit ONC Society. ONC operates unparalleled observatories in the deep ocean and coastal waters of Canada’s three coasts–the Arctic, the Pacific and the Atlantic–gathering biological, chemical, geological and physical data to drive solutions for science, industry and society. ONC operates the NEPTUNE and VENUS cabled ocean observatories in the northeast Pacific Ocean and the Salish Sea. Additionally, Ocean Networks Canada operates smaller community-based observatories offshore from Cambridge Bay, Nunavut., Campbell River, Kitamaat Village and Digby Island. These observatories collect data on physical, chemical, biological, and geological aspects of the ocean over long time periods. As with other ocean observatories such as ESONET, Ocean Observatories Initiative, MACHO and DONET, scientific instruments connected to Ocean Networks Canada are operated remotely and provide continuous streams of freely available data to researchers and the public. Over 200 gigabytes of data are collected every day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Enthemonae</span> Suborder of sea anemone

The Enthemonae is a suborder of sea anemones in the order Actiniaria. It comprises those sea anemones with typical arrangement of mesenteries for actiniarians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jelly-falls</span> Marine carbon cycling events whereby gelatinous zooplankton sink to the seafloor

Jelly-falls are marine carbon cycling events whereby gelatinous zooplankton, primarily cnidarians, sink to the seafloor and enhance carbon and nitrogen fluxes via rapidly sinking particulate organic matter. These events provide nutrition to benthic megafauna and bacteria. Jelly-falls have been implicated as a major “gelatinous pathway” for the sequestration of labile biogenic carbon through the biological pump. These events are common in protected areas with high levels of primary production and water quality suitable to support cnidarian species. These areas include estuaries and several studies have been conducted in fjords of Norway.

Urticinopsis antarctica is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is found in the Southern Ocean around Antarctica.

<i>Pourtalesia miranda</i> Species of sea urchin

Pourtalesia miranda, commonly known as the wonderful sea urchin, is a species of sea urchin in the family Pourtalesiidae. It is found at abyssal depths in the Atlantic Ocean.

Stylobates calcifer is a species of carcinoecium-forming sea anemone in Japan. S. calcifer produces carcinoecium that forms a thin cover around the hermit crab species Pagurodofleinia doederleini. P. deoderleini shares a symbiotic relationship with S. calcifer. S. calcifer inhabits the top of the hermit crab's shell attaching itself by the carcinoecium it produces. The anemone feeds on the suspended particulates of organic matter from the water column or the food residuals. It lives at a depth of 100 to 400 meters around the Pacific side of Kyushu, Japan.

Pagurodofleinia doederleini is a species of hermit crab in the genus Pagurodofleinia. The species lives in the deep Pacific sea-floor of Japan at depths of 100 to 400 meters. It lives in a symbiotic relationship with a carcinoecium-forming sea anemone called Stylobates calcifer. Stylobates calcifer rest on top of Pagurodofleinia deoderleini where it forms a thin shell around Pagurodofleinia doederlenini.

References

  1. 1 2 van der Land, Jacob (2012). "Actinoscyphia aurelia (Stephenson, 1918)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 2012-12-30.
  2. Stephenson, T. A. (1917). "On certain Actiniaria collected off Ireland by the Irish Fisheries Department, during the years 1899–1913". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy. Section B: Biological, Geological, and Chemical Science. 34: 106–164. JSTOR   20490280.
  3. 1 2 Ammons, Archie W. & Daly, Marymegan (2008). "Distribution, habitat use and ecology of deepwater anemones (Actiniaria) in the Gulf of Mexico". Deep-Sea Research. 55 (24–26): 2657–2666. doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2008.07.015.
  4. 1 2 Tyler, Paul A. (2003). Ecosystems of the Deep Oceans: Ecosystems of the World. Elsevier. pp. 21, 140. ISBN   978-0444826190.
  5. 1 2 Riemann-Zurneck, Karin (1998). "How sessile are sea anemones? a review of free-living forms in the Actiniaria Cnidaria: Anthozoa". Marine Ecology. 19 (4): 247–261. doi:10.1111/j.1439-0485.1998.tb00466.x.
  6. Lebrato, M. & Jones, D. O. B. (2009). "Mass deposition event of Pyrosoma atlanticum carcasses off Ivory Coast (West Africa)" (PDF). Limnology and Oceanography. 54 (4): 1197–1209. doi: 10.4319/lo.2009.54.4.1197 .