Epiactis Fernaldi

''Epiactis fernaldi'', commonly known as the Fernald brooding anemone (not to be confused with ''Cribrinopsis fernaldi'', another sympatric species known as Fernald brooding anemone), is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. It is native to shallow waters around the San Juan Islands off the western coast of North America.

Description

The Fernald brooding anemone is usually under in diameter. It varies in colour, with different individuals being dull green, reddish-brown, dark orange or yellowish-brown; sometimes there are contrasting light or dark spots on the column. The bases of the tentacles are usually white and there are often dark lines between them which correspond to the internal mesenteries. This anemone is similar in appearance to the common brooding anemone ''(Epiactis prolifera)'', especially when contracted, but that species often has juveniles adhering to the outside of the column while the Fernald brooding anemone broods its young internally. The other related species found in the same areas have white radiating lines on the oral disc and striations on the column while Fernald's anemone lacks both of these.

Distribution and habitat

The species is known only from the Barkley Sound in British Columbia, Canada, and the San Juan Islands in Washington state, United States. The population in the latter location is found intertidally on the west coast of the islands, in surge channels with floating logs, and in caves.

Ecology

''E. fernaldi'' is a simultaneous hermaphrodite. The eggs are fertilised internally and retained in the gastrovascular cavity where they are brooded. When the juveniles are released through the mouth, they are likely to be able to disperse more widely than is the case in the closely related ''Epiactis prolifera'' and '' Epiactis lisbethae'', which brood their offspring externally, the young eventually crawling away.

References

Actiniidae
Animals described in 1986
Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean

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