Stichodactyla mertensii

Taxobox
name = Merten's Carpet Sea Anemone
status = NE


image_width = 250px
image_caption = "Stichodactyla mertensii" with "Amphiprion akallopisos" and other unidentified fish in Madagascar.
regnum = Animalia
phylum = Cnidaria
classis = Anthozoa
subclassis = Hexacorallia
ordo = Actiniaria
family = Stichodactylidae
genus = "Stichodactyla"
species = "S. mertensii"
binomial = "Stichodactyla mertensii"
binomial_authority = (Brandt, 1835)

The Merten's carpet sea anemone ("Stichodactyla mertensii") is regarded as the largest sea anemone with a diameter of over 1 m, [http://www.seadb.univpm.it/schedule.php?ids=328 Entry at seadb.univpm.it] ] the next largest being "Heteractis magnifica" which has longer tentacles. This species has an oral disc that can be described as more ovoid than circular that contours to the surrounding substrate and is attached to the substrate by adhesive verrucae, which are wart like projections.Fautin, D. G.; Allen, G. R. Anemone fishes and their host sea anemones. MN:Voyageur Press. 1994.] Its blunt or pointed tentacles are uniformly shaped, and are only about 1-2 cm long. While this species can be confused with "Stichodactyla gigantea" and "S. haddoni", they are most easily distinguished by habitat since the former two prefer sand while "S. mertensii" prefers rocky or coral substrate. It contains obligate symbiotic zooxanthellae, and can serve as a host anemone to 17 separate fish species, the majority of which are anemonefish, with 1 damselfish.

Table
hdrs=Associated fish [Fautin, Daphne G.; Allen, Gerald R.. 1992, revised ed. 1997. Anemone Fishes and Their Host Sea Anemones. Western Australian Museum. 160pp. and [http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/symbiont_info.cfm?genus=Stichodactyla&species=Mertensii&synseniorid=116 Entry from Fautin, Daphne G. 2006. "Hexacorallians of the World"] . and [http://www.wetwebmedia.com/carpetanemones.htm Fenner, Bob "Carpet Anemones in Captive Systems" from The Conscientious Reef Aquarist] ]
row1="Amphiprion akallopisos"
row2="A. akindynos"
row3="A. allardi"
row4="A. bicinctus"
row5="A. chrysogaster"
row6="A. chrysopterus"
row7="A. clarkii"
row8="A. ephippium"
row9="A. fuscocaudatus"
row10="A. latifasciatus"
row11="A. leucokranos"
row12="A. ocellaris"
row13="A. polymnus"
row14="A. sandaracinos"
row15="A. tricinctus"
row16="A. xanthurus"
row17="Dascyllus trimaculatus"

References