Ceriantharia
Quick Summary
Ceriantharia, commonly known as tube anemones, are a group of marine animals belonging to the class Anthozoa within the phylum Cnidaria. These invertebrates are characterized by their elongated polyp form, which lives within a tube constructed from slime on the ocean floor.1
Tube anemones are found in tropical and subtropical waters. One notable species, Cerianthus americanus, can reach lengths of up to 60 cm (24 inches) and inhabits shallow waters along the coast of North America. The order Ceriantharia is sometimes included within the order Actiniaria.12
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cnidarianAnnotated classificationOrder Ceriantharia Tube anemones. Solitary polyps with 2 sets of tentacles (oral and marginal) that form feltlike tubes of specialized cnidae (ptychocysts) and burrow in soft sediments. Shallow waters worldwide. Subclass Zoantharia Sea anemones and corals. Six (or multiples of 6) tentacles (rarely branched). Mesenteries commonly…
Read MoreOrder Ceriantharia Tube anemones. Solitary polyps with 2 sets of tentacles (oral and marginal) that form feltlike tubes of specialized cnidae (ptychocysts) and burrow in soft sediments. Shallow waters worldwide. Subclass Zoantharia Sea anemones and corals. Six (or multiples of 6) tentacles (rarely branched). Mesenteries commonly…
Read More- cnidarianCritical appraisal
Similarity of larval ceriantharians to antipatharian polyps is the rationale for subclass Ceriantipatharia. Morphology of antipatharians is, however, in some ways, nearer that of alcyonarians than of zoantharians, and alternative schemes place Antipatharia in subclass Alcyonaria. Ceriantharia, too, sits uncomfortably in Zoantharia, although it bears no special relationship…
Read MoreSimilarity of larval ceriantharians to antipatharian polyps is the rationale for subclass Ceriantipatharia. Morphology of antipatharians is, however, in some ways, nearer that of alcyonarians than of zoantharians, and alternative schemes place Antipatharia in subclass Alcyonaria. Ceriantharia, too, sits uncomfortably in Zoantharia, although it bears no special relationship…
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