Actinoporus elegans

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Actinoporus elegans
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Actiniaria
Family: Capneidae
Genus: Actinoporus
Species:
A. elegans
Binomial name
Actinoporus elegans
Synonyms[1]
  • Aureliana elegans Andres, 1883

Actinoporus elegans, commonly known as the elegant anemone[2][3] or the brown-striped anemone,[4] is a species of sea anemone in the family Aurelianidae. This species may exhibit a high degree of colour variability, from blue to white to nearly transparent.[1]

The column is smooth and textured near the top and bottom, growing to a maximum of 15 centimetres (5.9 in) in height and with a diameter of about 5 centimetres (2.0 in). The base, about the same diameter as the column, is deeply buried in the substratum. The disc is flat and also about the same diameter as the column. Although the surface of the disc is hidden by tentacles at the fringes, there is a small exposed area at the centre where the distance between them is greater.[1] Both the base and column are mostly white with some clear areas. Near the disc, the ridges may be a translucent brown colour. This translucency is due to the thinness of the base and column walls.[1]

The tentacles are short and wart-like, appearing almost non-existent,[5] giving the surface of the disc a "finely beaded" appearance.[1] They are arranged in irregular radial sections, more crowded at the margin of the disc than at the centre. The tentacles bear stinging nematocytes on the outer half of the ectoderm (outside layer). The tentacles may be opaque white or red, with spots of various colours such as yellow, brown, and pink on the tips, though white is more common at the fringe. The individual tentacles are unable to retract; however, the disc as a whole can almost be retracted totally.[1]

A. elegans inhabits the tropical Atlantic Ocean, from the Caribbean Sea to Brazil. Although previously known only from the western Atlantic, populations were discovered in the east Atlantic at São Tomé and Príncipe in 2004 and in 2006, the first records of this species in the area.[5]

References[]

  1. ^ a b c d e f Duerden, James Edwin (April 1898). Jamaican Actiniaria. II. VI. Dublin: Royal Dublin Society. pp. 176–180.
  2. ^ "Invertebrate Species observed during reef surveys at St. Barths". ST BARTHELEMY MARINE RESERVE Summary of Preliminary Results of April 1998 Monitoring, and Future Activities. Sustainable Ecosystems Institute. Archived from the original on 3 January 2011. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  3. ^ "Evaluation of Salt Ponds Affected by the Beef Island Development Project" (PDF). Beef Island Environmental Scoping Report & Resource Characterization. Island Resources Foundation. August 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  4. ^ "Georgia Fish Identification Key" (PDF). University of Georgia. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 June 2010. Retrieved 13 June 2010.
  5. ^ a b Wirtz, Peter (2009). "Thirteen new records of marine invertebrates and two of fishes from Cape Verde Islands" (PDF). Arquipélago – Life and Marine Sciences. 26: 52. ISSN 0873-4704. Retrieved 13 June 2010.

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