Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society
Info
Epizoanthus stellaris is the most common epibiont on the stalks of Hyalonema glass sponges in the deep sea of the northeast Pacific.
The studied colony comprised about 40 almost saucer-shaped polyps, all connected by a strongly developed dark brownish coenenchyma.
The colony covered the upper part of the stalks of the glass sponge, but not around the spiny anchor.
Contracted preserved polyps protrude only a little from the coenenchyma and are flat, 0.4 - 1.1 mm high, 3.0 - 6.9 mm in diameter.
Capitular ridges are present and well developed when contracted, about 14-18 in number.
Ectoderm and mesoglea of polyps and coenenchyma heavily encrusted with numerous sand and silica particles.
Only very few people will be able to observe these azooxanthellate crustose anemones in the living state, as the depth distribution only allows this with the aid of deep-sea vehicles.
Literature reference:
Hiroki, Montenegro, Javier, Santos, Maria E. A., Hoeksema, Bert W., Ekins, Merrick, Ise, Yuji, Higashiji, Takuo, Fernandez-Silva, Iria & Reimer, James D., 2022,
Evolution and phylogeny of glass-sponge-associated zoantharians, with a description of two new genera and three new species, pp. 323-347
in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194 on pages 327-330, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab068, http://zenodo.org/record/5799592
The studied colony comprised about 40 almost saucer-shaped polyps, all connected by a strongly developed dark brownish coenenchyma.
The colony covered the upper part of the stalks of the glass sponge, but not around the spiny anchor.
Contracted preserved polyps protrude only a little from the coenenchyma and are flat, 0.4 - 1.1 mm high, 3.0 - 6.9 mm in diameter.
Capitular ridges are present and well developed when contracted, about 14-18 in number.
Ectoderm and mesoglea of polyps and coenenchyma heavily encrusted with numerous sand and silica particles.
Only very few people will be able to observe these azooxanthellate crustose anemones in the living state, as the depth distribution only allows this with the aid of deep-sea vehicles.
Literature reference:
Hiroki, Montenegro, Javier, Santos, Maria E. A., Hoeksema, Bert W., Ekins, Merrick, Ise, Yuji, Higashiji, Takuo, Fernandez-Silva, Iria & Reimer, James D., 2022,
Evolution and phylogeny of glass-sponge-associated zoantharians, with a description of two new genera and three new species, pp. 323-347
in Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society 194 on pages 327-330, DOI: 10.1093/zoolinnean/zlab068, http://zenodo.org/record/5799592
