Part 9Zoanthids, Sea Anemones and Corallimorpharians

Jorge Cortés

J. CortésCentro de Investigación en Ciencias del Mar y Limnología (CIMAR) and Escuela de Biología,Universidad de Costa Rica, 11501-2060 San José, Costa Rica. e-mail: jorge.cortes@ucr.ac.cr

The sea anemone Stichodactyla helianthus from Cahuita, Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. (Photo: Andrea Bernecker)

I.S. Wehrtmann, J. Cortés (eds.) Marine Biodiversity of Costa Rica, Central America, 157© Springer Science + Business Media B.V. 2009

158 J. Cortés

Abstract Five species of zoanthids, six of actiniarians and two of corallimorpharians have been recognized from the Caribbean coast, and one species of sea anemone from the Pacific of Costa Rica. The Caribbean species are common throughout the Caribbean Sea. Many more species have been observed on both coasts, but have not been identified.

Introduction

Members of three orders of anthozoans (Phylum: Cnidaria), Zoanthiniaria, Actinaria, and Corallimorpharia are commonly called sea anemones, but only the Actinaria are anemones in the strict sense (www.kgs.ukans.edu/Hexacoral/Biodata/index.html). There are about 250 species of zoanthids, 900 species of actiniarians, and 50 species of corallimorpharians in the world (http://phylogeny.arizona.edu/tree/eukaryotes/animals/cnidaria/cnidaria.html).

There is little information on zoanthids and corallimorpharians. Even in specialized web pages like: www.kgs.ukans.edu/Hexacoral/Biodata/index.html, there is no informa-tion on the taxonomic status of several species of zoanthids. Because of the problem of preserving these soft-body organisms there are few specimens in museum collections.

In this part I present a list of species that I have observed and identified in the field, using Colin (1988) and Humann (1992). Five species of zoanthids (e.g., Zoanthus sociatus, Fig. 9.1), six of actiniarians and two of corallimorpharians have been recognized from the Caribbean coast and one species of sea anemone from the Pacific of Costa Rica (Species Lists 9.1 and 9.2 are included on the CD-Rom). Many more species have been observed on both coasts but have not been identified, stressing the need for more taxonomic work on these groups.

Fig. 9.1 Zoanthus sociatus from Cahuita, Caribbean coast of Costa Rica. (Photo: Jorge Cortés)

9 Zoanthids, Sea Anemones and Corallimorpharians 159

Specialists

Fabián H. Acuña: Laboratorio de Cnidarios, Universidad Nacional de Mar del Plata, Argentina – Atlantic Actiniarians. facuna@mdp.edu.ar

Daphen Fautin: Division of Biological Sciences, University of Kansas, Lawrence – Worldwide. fautin@ukans.edu

Richard Mariscal: Florida State University, Tallahassee,Florida – Worldwide.John Ryland: School of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Swansea, Swansea,

Wales, UK – Worldwide. J.S.Ryland@Swansea.ac.uk

Collections

There is a small collection of Costa Rican zoanthids and anemones in the Museo de Zoología of the Universidad de Costa Rica.

Recommendations

Much more work is needed on these groups, not only in Costa Rica, but worldwide. Dr. Daphne Fautin recommends that good underwater photographs, from several angles, should be taken of an organism before collecting it, because once preserved, even after they have been relaxed, they lose their original shape and color.

Acknowledgments I thank Daphne Fautin and John Ryland for their help and review of the manuscript.

References

Colin PI (1988) Caribbean reef invertebrates and plants. T.F.H. Publications, Neptune City, NJ, 512 p

1. Cortés J (1996–1997) Biodiversidad marina de Costa Rica: Filo Cnidaria. Rev Biol Trop 44(3)/45(1):323–334

2. Cortés J (1979–2002) Personal observations3. Fonseca E, Arrivillaga AC, Arrivillaga A (2003) Coral reefs of Guatemala. In: Cortés J (ed)

Latin American Coral Reefs. Elsevier Science, Amsterdam, pp 159–170Humann P (1992) Reef Creatures Identification: Florida, Caribbean, Bahamas. New World

Publications, Jacksonville, FL, 328 p

Spec

ies

Lis

t 9.

1 Z

oant

hids

, act

inia

rian

s, a

nd c

oral

limor

phar

ians

fou

nd o

n th

e C

arib

bean

coa

st o

f C

osta

Ric

a

W

orld

dis

trib

utio

naC

entr

al A

mer

icab

Oce

anic

dis

trib

utio

ncH

abita

t/ C

omm

unity

dR

efer

ence

se

Cla

ss A

NT

HO

ZO

A

Ord

er Z

OA

NT

HIN

IAR

IA

Fam

ily Z

OA

NT

HID

AE

Paly

thoa

car

ibae

orum

Duc

hass

aing

& M

iche

lotti

, 186

0C

arG

,H,N

it,st

,eb

rb,c

r[1

, 2, 3

]

Paly

thoa

gra

ndis

Ver

rill,

190

0C

arst

,eb

cr[1

]

Zoa

nthu

s pu

lche

llus

Duc

hass

aing

& M

iche

lotti

, 186

0C

arst

,eb

cr[1

]

Zoa

nthu

s so

ciat

us E

llis

& S

olan

der,

1786

Car

H,N

,Pst

,eb

rb,c

r[1

,2]

Fam

ily P

AR

AZ

OA

NT

HID

AE

Para

zoan

thus

par

asit

icus

(D

ucha

ssai

ng &

Mic

helo

tti)

Car

stc,

cr[2

]

Ord

er A

CT

INIA

RIA

Fam

ily A

CT

INII

DA

E

Ant

hopl

eura

sp.

Car

st,e

brb

,cr

[1]

Con

dyla

ctis

gig

ante

a (W

einl

and,

186

0)C

arG

st,e

brb

,cr

[1,3

]

Fam

ily A

IPTA

SIID

AE

Bar

thol

omea

ann

ulat

a (L

esue

ur, 1

817)

Car

Gst

,eb

rb,c

r[1

,3]

Fam

ily A

LIC

IID

AE

Ali

cia

mir

abil

is J

ohns

on, 1

861

Car

st,e

brb

,cr

[1]

Leb

runi

a co

rall

igen

s (W

ilson

, 189

0)C

arst

,eb

rb,c

r[1

]

Fam

ily S

TIC

HO

DA

CT

YL

IDA

E

Stic

hoda

ctyl

a he

lian

thus

(E

llis,

176

8)C

arst

,eb

rb,c

r[1

]

(con

tinue

d)

Zoanthids, Sea Anemones and Corallimorpharians 105

106 Species List

Spec

ies

Lis

t 9.

1 (c

ontin

ued)

W

orld

dis

trib

utio

naC

entr

al A

mer

icab

Oce

anic

dis

trib

utio

ncH

abita

t/ C

omm

unity

dR

efer

ence

se

Ord

er C

OR

AL

LIM

OR

PH

AR

IA

Fam

ily A

CT

INO

DIS

CID

AE

Dis

coso

ma

sanc

tith

omae

(D

ucha

ssai

ng &

Mic

helo

tti, 1

860)

Car

st,e

brb

,cr

[2]

Fam

ily C

OR

AL

LIM

OR

PHID

AE

Ric

orde

a fl

orid

a (D

ucha

ssai

ng &

Mic

helo

tti, 1

860)

Car

st

,eb

rb,c

r[2

]

a Car

= C

arib

bean

b G

= G

uate

mal

a, H

= H

ondu

ras,

N =

Nic

arag

ua; P

= P

anam

ac e

b =

epi

bent

hic;

it =

inte

rtid

al; s

t = s

ubtid

ald

c =

com

men

sal;

cr =

cor

al r

eefs

; rb

= r

ocky

bot

tom

e Ref

eren

ces

are

indi

cate

d by

num

bers

acc

ordi

ng to

the

refe

renc

e lis

t.

Zoanthids, Sea Anemones and Corallimorpharians 107

Species List 9.2 Zoanthids, actiniarians, and corallimorpharians found on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica

World distributiona Costa Ricab

Oceanic distributionc

Habitat/Communityd Referencese

Class ANTHOZOA

Order ACTINARIA

Family HormathiidaeTelmatactis cricoides

(Duchassaing, 1850)EP IC st,eb rb,cr [1]

a EP = eastern Pacificb IC = Isla del Cococ eb = epibenthic; st = subtidald cr = coral reefs; rb = rocky bottome References are indicated by numbers according to the reference list