Heteractis magnifica

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Heteractis magnifica
Heteractis magnifica with Amphiprion perideraion
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Actiniaria
Family: Stichodactylidae
Genus:
Heteractis
Species:
H. magnifica
Binomial name
Heteractis magnifica
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
Synonyms
List
  • Actinia magnifica Quoy & Gaimard, 1833
  • Antheopsis ritteri Kwietniewski
  • Corynactis magnifica (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
  • Helianthopsis mabrucki Carlgren, 1900
  • Helianthopsis ritteri Kwietniewski, 1898
  • Heteractis ritteri (Kwietniewski, 1897)
  • Radianthus mabrucki (Carlgren, 1900)
  • Radianthus magnifica (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
  • Radianthus paumotensis (Couthouy)
  • Radianthus ritteri (Kwietniewski, 1897)
  • Ropalactis magnifica (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

Heteractis magnifica, also known by the common names magnificent sea anemone or Ritteri anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the Stichodactylidae family native to the Indo-Pacific area.

Description

The magnificent sea anemone is characterized by a flared oral disc, which reaches between 20 and 50 cm in diameter, but in some specimens, this can reach 1 m.[1] The oral disc, the base of the tentacles, and the oral orifice have the same color, going from light beige to white.

The numerous tentacles exceed 8 cm long. The sea anemone, being a member of the Hexacorallia, usually carries tentacles in multiples of six that are positioned in concentric circles. Their tips are fingered and often lighter in coloration than the tentacle body and are sometimes vividly colored.[citation needed]

Its specific scientific name, magnifica, and its vernacular name come from the bright color of the column, which is the visible outer structure when the animal retracts, and these range from electric blue to green, red, pink, purple, or brown.[citation needed]

Distribution and habitat

The magnificent sea anemone is widespread throughout the tropical and subtropical waters of the

New-Caledonia[2][3]

This anemone likes hard substrates well exposed to light and current from the surface to 20 m deep.[2] It has been observed down to 40 m deep.[4]

Biology

The magnificent sea anemone has two feeding methods. The first one is through the

zooxanthellae
, living in its tissues. The second method is through using its tentacles to stun, immobilize, and consume prey (small invertebrates, fry, or juvenile fish).

The reproduction of the anemone can be

Genetic analyses does not suggest a difference between solitary specimens in the central distribution and clustering specimens at the rim. Asexual reproduction is found only in the rim areas and is probably the origin of the large aggregations.[4]

The relationship between

anemonefish and their host sea anemones is highly nested in structure. With 12 species of hosted anemonefish, the magnificent sea anemone is highly generalist. The anemonefish it hosts are also mostly generalist, the exceptions being Amphiprion pacificus, only hosted by H. magnifica, and A. akallopisos, which is also hosted by Stichodactyla mertensii.[6] The species of anemonefish hosted by the magnificent sea anemone are: [7]

  • Amphiprion akallopisos (skunk anemone fish)
  • A. akindynos (Barrier Reef anemonefish)
  • A. bicinctus
    (two-band anemonefish)
  • A. chrysogaster (Mauritian anemonefish)
  • A. chrysopterus
    (orange-fin anemonefish)
  • A. clarkii
    (Clark's anemonefish)
  • A. leucokranos (white-bonnet anemonefish)
  • A. melanopus
    (red and black anemonefish)
  • A. nigripes (Maldive anemonefish)
  • A. ocellaris
    (false clown anemonefish)
  • A. pacificus (Pacific anemonefish) [8]
  • A. percula
    (clown anemonefish)
  • A. perideraion
    (pink skunk anemonefish)

H. magnifica also hosts

Dascyllus trimaculatus, the threespot dascyllus, and various commensal shrimps
.

Gallery

Symbionts in H. magnifica
  • A. akallopisos
    A. akallopisos
  • A. bicinctus
    A. bicinctus
  • A. chrysopterus
    A. chrysopterus
  • A. melanopus
    A. melanopus
  • A. nigripes
    A. nigripes
  • A. ocellaris
    A. ocellaris
  • A. perideraion hovering above Heteractis magnifica (purple-tip anemone)
    A. perideraion
    hovering above Heteractis magnifica (purple-tip anemone)
  • A. perideraion
    A. perideraion
  • A porcelain crab Neopetrolisthes maculatus
    A porcelain crab Neopetrolisthes maculatus
  • D. trimaculatus
    D. trimaculatus

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heteractis magnifica.
  1. ISBN 9782092606599
    .
  2. ^
    doi:10.1111/j.1439-0310.1996.tb01118.x
    .
  3. ^
    OCLC 862735362
    .
  4. ^
    S2CID 54581276
    .
  5. S2CID 23785363
    .
  6. PMID 17476781
    .
  7. ISBN 9780730983651. Archived from the original
    on 14 April 2015.
  8. ^ Allen, G.; Drew, J. & Fenner, D. (2010). "Amphiprion pacificus, a new species of anemonefish (Pomacentridae) from Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, and Wallis Island". Aqua, International Journal of Ichthyology. 16 (3): 129–138. Archived from the original on 2015-05-27.
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