''Dofleinia armata'', commonly known as the striped anemone or armed anemone, is a species of

sea anemone Sea anemones are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates of the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classifi ...

in the family Actiniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Dofleinia''.

Description

''Dofleinia armata'' is one of Australia's largest species of anemone. It can grow to 20 cm in diameter, with tentacles up to 50 cm long. The base of this species is broad, the column smooth, with a broad, flat oral disc. It has long inner tentacles which are a minimum of double the size of the outer tentacles. The tentacles have visible papillae on the surface. These contain

nematocyst 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 that are very large. The oral disc has papillae as well, but weaker. These contain nematocysts also. The surface of the tentacles end in a tip that is somewhat swollen. The tentacles are either cream, brown, or plain, and are striped. They have a surface that is scale-like and are often observed curling into ball shapes that hide the mouth. It is able to expand its body and tentacles due to a well-developed

hydrostatic Fluid statics or hydrostatics is the branch of fluid mechanics that studies the condition of the equilibrium of a floating body and submerged body "fluids at hydrostatic equilibrium and the pressure in a fluid, or exerted by a fluid, on an imme ...

system.

Distribution

This species is known to live in the tropical waters of Australia as far south as Perth, Western Australia. It is also known to occur in the Philippines and Indonesia.

Habitat

This species lives at depths of up to 20 metres in the

intertidal zone 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 o ...

on sloping, sheltered reefs, as well as in mangroves. It may be found in fine silt or mud.

Danger to humans

The sting of ''Dofleinia armata'' presents a danger to humans. Injuries resulting from contact with this species are considered very painful, and can take several months to heal.

References

External links