The burrowing anemone (''Ceriantheopsis austroafricanus'') 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
tube-dwelling anemone
Tube-dwelling anemones or ceriantharians look very similar to sea anemones but belong to an entirely different Class (biology), class of anthozoans. They are solitary, living buried in soft sediments. Tube anemones live inside and can withdraw i ...
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 ...
Cerianthidae
Cerianthidae is a family of tube-dwelling anemones in the order Spirularia of the subclass Ceriantharia.
Genera
The World Register of Marine Species includes the following genera in the family:
* ''Anthoactis'' Leloup, 1932
* ''Apiactis'' Bene ...
.
[Molodtsova T. N., Griffiths C. L., Acuna F.H. 2011. A new species of shallow-water cerianthid (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) from the South Africa, with remarks on the genus ''Ceriantheopsis''. ''Afr. Nat. Hist.'' 7: 1-8.]
Description
The burrowing anemone grows up to 8 cm in diameter. It lives in a self-constructed wrinkled felt-like tube which may be buried quite deeply in the sand. Several rows of feeding tentacles emerge from the tube and may be salmon-coloured, brownish, creamy or purple. The outer tentacles are longer and used for food capture and defence. The inner tentacles are shorter and held more erect. These are used for food manipulation and ingestion.
[Jones, Georgina. ''A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula.'' SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ]
Distribution
The burrowing anemone has been found in Table Bay and False Bay around the Cape Peninsula and Hermanus on the south coast of South Africa, and lives from the subtidal zone down to at least 25m under water.
Ecology
This anemone is found in sandy and silty areas.
References
Cerianthidae
Animals described in 2012
{{Anthozoa-stub