Arachnactidae is a
family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
of
tube-dwelling anemones in the order
Ceriantharia
Tube-dwelling anemones or ceriantharians look very similar to sea anemones but belong to an entirely different order of anthozoans. They are solitary, living buried in soft sediments. Tube anemones live inside and can withdraw into tubes, which ...
. It is the only family in the monotypic order Penicillaria and comprises around 38 species. They differ from other ceriantharians in the makeup of their cnidome (the types of
cnidocyte
A cnidocyte (also known as a cnidoblast) is a type of cell containing a large secretory organelle called a ''cnidocyst'', that can deliver a sting to other organisms as a way to capture prey and defend against predators. A cnidocyte explosively ...
present), the relative sizes of the oral discs and the shape and structure of the mesenteries. These tube anemones dwell in parchment-like tubes immersed in soft sediment, and have two whorls of tentacles, the outer ones being much longer than the inner ones.
Genera
The
World Register of Marine Species
The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide an authoritative and comprehensive catalogue and list of names of marine organisms.
Content
The content of the registry is edited and maintained by scien ...
includes the following genera in the family :
[Molodtsova, T. (2015)]
Arachnactidae McMurrich, 1910.
Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species on 2016-02-10
* ''
Anactinia''
Annandale, 1909
* ''
Arachnactis''
Sars, 1846
* ''
Arachnanthus''
Carlgren, 1912
* ''
Dactylactis''
Van Beneden, 1897
* ''
Isapiactis''
Carlgren, 1924
* ''
Isarachnactis''
Carlgren, 1924
* ''
Isarachnanthus''
Carlgren, 1924
* ''
Isovactis''
Leloup, 1942
* ''
Ovactis''
Van Beneden, 1897
* ''
Paranactinia''
Carlgren, 1924
References
Ceriantharia
Anthozoan orders
{{Anthozoa-stub