Tube-dwelling anemone
| Tube-dwelling anemone | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cerianthus sp. | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Ceriantharia Perrier, 1893 |
| Families | |
Tube-dwelling anemones or tube anemones are marine invertebrates belonging to the order Ceriantharia, a group of anthozoans related to sea anemones and corals.
Characteristics
[edit]They look very similar to the sea anemones (Actiniaria), but are not directly related to them. They are solitary, living buried in soft sediments. They live inside and can withdraw into tubes, which are composed of a fibrous material made from secreted mucus and threads of nematocyst-like organelles known as ptychocysts. Within the tubes of the tube anemones, more than one polyp is present, which is an exceptional trait because species that create tube systems usually contain only one polyp per tube.[1]
Tube anemones have a crown of tentacles that are composed of two whorls of distinctly different-sized tentacles. The outer whorl consists of large tentacles that extend outwards. These tentacles taper to points and are mostly used in food capture and defense. The smaller inner tentacles are held more erect than the larger lateral tentacles and are used for food manipulation and ingestion.[2] The tentacles of tube anemones are venomous, similar to most other cnidarians. The recent exploration of tube anemones and their venomous tentacles permits the exploration of the lineage of venom genes in anthozoans.[3]
A few species such as Anactinia pelagica were thought to be holopelagic, remaining free-floating into maturity.[4] This was later found to be false, with rearing experiments succeeding in adult metamorphosis.[5]
Fossil record
[edit]So far, the only fossil record for the group is from Eocene and Oligocene deep-water rocks in Washington State, USA.[6]
Taxonomy
[edit]The tube anemones (Ceriantharia) were formerly classified in the taxon (subclass) Ceriantipatharia along with the black corals (Antipatharia),[7] but they are now considered to be basal hexacorals (or, equivalently, a sister taxon to the hexacorals) and unrelated to the black corals.
The current system is shown below:
Order Ceriantharia:
- Suborder Spirularia
- Family Botrucnidiferidae Carlgren, 1912[8]
- Genus Angianthula Leloup, 1964
- Genus Atractanthula Leloup, 1964
- Genus Botruanthus McMurrich, 1910
- Genus Botrucnidiata Leloup, 1932
- Genus Botrucnidifer Carlgren, 1912
- Genus Calpanthula van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Cerianthula Beneden, 1898
- Genus Gymnanthula Leloup, 1964
- Genus Hensenanthula van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Ovanthula van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Sphaeranthula Leloup, 1955
- Family Cerianthidae Milne-Edwards & Haime, 1852[9]
- Genus Anthoactis Leloup, 1932
- Genus Apiactis van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Bursanthus Leloup, 1968
- Genus Ceriantheomorphe Carlgren, 1931
- Genus Ceriantheopsis Carlgren, 1912
- Genus Cerianthus Delle Chiaje, 1830
- Genus Engodactylactis Leloup, 1942
- Genus Isodactylactis Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Nautanthus Leloup, 1964
- Genus Pachycerianthus Roule, 1904
- Genus Paradactylactis Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Parovactis Leloup, 1964
- Genus Peponactis van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Plesiodactylactis Leloup, 1942
- Genus Sacculactis Leloup, 1964
- Genus Solasteractis van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Syndactylactis Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Trichactis Leloup, 1964
- Suborder Penicillaria[10]
- Family Arachnactidae McMurrich, 1910
- Genus Anactinia Annandale, 1909
- Genus Arachnactis Sars, 1846
- Genus Arachnanthus Carlgren, 1912
- Genus Dactylactis van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Isapiactis Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Isarachnactis Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Isarachnanthus Carlgren, 1924
- Genus Isovactis Leloup, 1942
- Genus Ovactis Van Beneden, 1897
- Genus Paranactinia Carlgren, 1924
- Family Synarachnactidae[11] Molodtsova & Simakova, 2023
- Genus Synarachnactis Carlgren, 1924
A 2020 integrative study incorporating molecular phylogenetic reconstructions and morphological assessment across the three families recovered Arachnactidae as a well-supported clade, but did not recover Cerianthidae and Botrucnidiferidae as monophyletic, drawing into question the validity of the Spirularia suborder[12]
References
[edit]- ↑ Ceriello, Hellen; Costa, Gabriel G.; Bakken, Torkild; Stampar, Sérgio N. (October 2020). "Corals as substrate for tube-dwelling anemones". Marine Biodiversity. 50 (5): 89. Bibcode:2020MarBd..50...89C. doi:10.1007/s12526-020-01116-1. hdl:11449/206545. ISSN 1867-1616. S2CID 221885210.
- ↑ Brusca, R.C. & Brusca, G.J. 2002. Invertebrates Second Edition Sinauer Associates. ISBN 0-87893-097-3
- ↑ Stampar, S. N.; Broe, M. B., Macrander, J.; Reitzel, A. M.; Brugler, M. R.; Daly, M. (2019). "Linear Mitochondrial Genome in Anthozoa (Cnidaria): A Case Study in Ceriantharia". Scientific Reports. 9 (1): 6094–6094. Bibcode:2019NatSR...9.6094S. doi:10.1038/s41598-019-42621-z. PMC 6465557. PMID 30988357.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ↑ Annandale, N. (1909). "A pelagic sea-anemone without tentacles". Records of the Indian Museum. 3 (10): 157–162.
- ↑ Ramunni Menon, K. (1914-08-21). "Coelenterates-Note on the Genus Anactinia". Records of the Zoological Survey of India: 211–212. doi:10.26515/rzsi/v10/i3/1914/163636. ISSN 2581-8686.
- ↑ Kiel, S.; Goedert, J.L. (2025). "Eocene and Oligocene ceriantharian tubes". Journal of Paleontology, First View: 1–5. doi:10.1017/jpa.2025.10108.
- ↑ Appeltans, Ward (2010). "Ceriantipatharia". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2017-12-21.
- ↑ WoRMS. "Botrucnidiferidae Carlgren, 1912". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
- ↑ WoRMS. "Cerianthidae". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2016-02-10.
- ↑ Tina Molodtsova (2011). "Penicilaria". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
- ↑ Tina Molodtsova (2025). "Synarachnactidae". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
- ↑ Forero Mejia, Anny C.; Molodtsova, Tina; Östman, Carina; Bavestrello, Giorgio; Rouse, Greg W. (2020). "Molecular phylogeny of Ceriantharia (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) reveals non-monophyly of traditionally accepted families". Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society. 190 (2): 397–416. doi:10.1093/zoolinnean/zlz158.
Hickman; et al. (2008), Integrated Principles of Zoology (14th ed.), New York: McGraw-Hill, ISBN 978-0-07-297004-3
External links
[edit]- Photos of Tube Anemones
- Tube-dwelling anemone toxins have pharmacological potential, mapping study shows, on: Eurekalert!, 29 October 2020. Source: Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo