''Epiactis ritteri'', the sandy anemone or Ritter's brooding 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 Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...

Actiniidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean on the western coast of North America in the shallow sub-littoral zone.

Description

''Epiactis ritteri'' is very flat when retracted with a wide, flared pedal base, and can measure wide and high. The column is unarmed with acontia and has no tubercles, but has some small adhesive warts to which sand or other fragments may stick. There may be radiating lines on the pedal disc at the base of the column. There are broad white markings on the oral disc near the base of the tentacles but these do not extend as far as the mouth, a fact which distinguishes it from the rather similar ''

Epiactis prolifera ''Epiactis prolifera'', the brooding, proliferating or small green anemone, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Actiniidae.Fautin, D. (2010). ''Epiactis prolifera'' Verrill, 1869. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species a ...

''. The general colour of this anemone is reddish-brown to brown.

Biology

It is likely that this species is largely inbred because it does not have a planktonic stage in its life history. It is a simultaneous

hermaphrodite In reproductive biology, a hermaphrodite () is an organism that has both kinds of reproductive organs and can produce both gametes associated with male and female sexes. Many Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic groups of animals (mostly invertebrate ...

, producing eggs and retaining them in the body cavity where they are fertilised. When the

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. The ...

e are sufficiently developed, with their

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s starting to grow, they emerge through the parent's mouth as juvenile anemones and crawl away to settle nearby.

References

Actiniidae Animals described in 1902 Cnidarians of the Pacific Ocean {{Actiniaria-stub