A study of the present knowledge and missing information

of the order Corallimorpharia (Cnidaria: Zoantharia)

Ha-Rim ChaDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology

The University of Kansas

Corallimorpharia

• One of six orders of Zoantharia

• Coral-like sea anemones

• Solitary or colonial polyps without skeleton

• Current Classification - four families, 13 genera, and 50 species

• Widely distributed - from tropical to polar areas and from shallow to deep water

What do they look like?

Plate-like body

Family Ricordeidae Watzl, 1922Family Discosomatidae Duchassaing de Fombressin and Michelotti, 1864

(Photos by Vincent B. Hargreaves)

Cylindrical body

Family Sideractiidae Danielssen, 1890Family Corallimorphidae Hertwig, 1882

Characters Examined

• Body shape / size

• Tentacles shape / number / arrangement

• Sphincter muscles

• Nematocysts composition and distribution

• Ecology

(by Scott R. Santos)

Problems

Im possib le to Identify and S tudy at the Species Level

N ebulous B oundary of Each G enus

Incom parable D iagnosis

Incom plete In form ation

What is known?

• Body shape - cylindrical or plate-like

• Tentacle shape Family Corallimorphidae Family Sideractiidae Family Ricordeidae Family Discosomatidae

• Occurrence depth

Capitate tentacles

Short, simple or branched, and dot-like tentacles

What is unknown or partially known?

• Most detailed information

• Genus Type species Type statusSideractis Sideractis glacialis HolotypeNectactis Nectactis singularis SyntypeSphincteractis Sphincteractis sanmatiensis HolotypeCorallimorphus Corallimorphus profundus SyntypeCorynactis Corynactis viridis ?Pseudocorynactis Pseudocorynactis caribbeorum HolotypeRicordea Ricordea florida ?Discosoma Discosoma nummiforme SyntypeOrinia Orinia torpida SyntypeParadiscosoma Paradiscosoma neglecta ?Rhodactis Rhodactis rhodostoma ?Metarhodactis Metarhodactis boninensis SyntypeAmplexidiscus Amplexidiscus fenestrafer Holotype

Primary Research

Objective One. Revision of genera - based on completed information

Objective Two. Validity of each genus - valid? - synonymous? - new genus?

This research provides source for…

• Relationship within the order

• Relationship between orders

• Other fields of biology - conservation, biochemical and molecular biology

Scleractinia (stony corals)

Corallimorpharia

Actiniaria (Sea anemones)

Acknowledgment

My research is supported by US NSF grant 9978106

in the program Partnerships to Enhance Expertise in Taxonomy (PEET)

to Dr. Daphne Fautin

THANK YOU!