''Anthothoe albocincta'', or white-striped anemone, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of sea anemone in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Sagartiidae. It is native to the coasts of Australia and New Zealand.

Description

This species grows to a maximum diameter of 30mm, varies in colour, but can usually be distinguished by its orange or green oral disc with distinct, short, white stripes on the column. It has many tentacles.

Distribution

''Anthothoe albocincta'' occurs in the waters of southeastern Australia, (

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

) and New Zealand.

Habitat

This species lives in the

intertidal The intertidal zone, also known as the foreshore, is the area above water level at low tide and underwater at high tide (in other words, the area within the tidal range). This area can include several types of habitats with various species ...

and

subtidal The neritic zone (or sublittoral zone) is the relatively shallow part of the ocean above the drop-off of the continental shelf, approximately in depth. From the point of view of marine biology it forms a relatively stable and well-illuminated ...

zones, in

rock pool A tide pool or rock pool is a shallow pool of seawater that forms on the rocky intertidal shore. Many of these pools exist as separate bodies of water only at low tide. Many tide pool habitats are home to especially adaptable animals that ...

s on many types of substrate, usually rock, and sometimes

sponge Sponges, the members of the phylum Porifera (; meaning 'pore bearer'), are a basal animal clade as a sister of the diploblasts. They are multicellular organisms that have bodies full of pores and channels allowing water to circulate throug ...

s, algae, gastropod shells and

ascidian Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians, tunicates (in part), and sea squirts (in part), is a polyphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" m ...

s. It is found at depths down to about .

Behaviour

During high tide, this anemone is highly active, feeding on particles it captures. It is also able to defend itself by shooting

stinging cell A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast or nematocyte) is an explosive cell containing one large secretory organelle called a cnidocyst (also known as a cnida () or nematocyst) that can deliver a sting to other organisms. The presence of this ce ...

s from openings located on the side of the column. This anemone can reproduce both sexually and by cloning. In sexual reproduction, the gametes are liberated into the

water column A water column is a conceptual column of water from the surface of a sea, river or lake to the bottom sediment.Munson, B.H., Axler, R., Hagley C., Host G., Merrick G., Richards C. (2004).Glossary. ''Water on the Web''. University of Minnesota-D ...

where fertilisation takes place. The fertilized egg develops into a

planula A planula is the free-swimming, flattened, ciliated, bilaterally symmetric larval form of various cnidarian species and also in some species of Ctenophores. Some groups of Nemerteans also produce larvae that are very similar to the planula, which ...

larva which drifts with the

plankton Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in water (or air) that are unable to propel themselves against a current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankters. In the ocean, they provide a crucia ...

before settling and developing directly into another polyp. This allows for dispersal of the sea anemones over long distances. Clonal reproduction takes place by longitudinal fission. Local populations consist of large numbers of cloned individuals with similar coloured oral discs and tentacles. Confirmation that they are clones can be gained by electrophoretic genotyping. It has been found that clones are found in agglomerations, sometimes narrowly separated from other agglomerations with the same genotype. There is no evidence that the clones are mobile through rafting.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q3314176 Sagartiidae Animals described in 1879