''Cerianthus'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of tube-dwelling anemones in the

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 ...

Cerianthidae Cerianthidae is a family of tube-dwelling anemones in the order Spirularia of the subclass Ceriantharia. Genera The World Register of Marine Species The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) is a taxonomic database that aims to provide ...

. Members of the genus are found worldwide. They are

predators Predation is a biological interaction in which one organism, the predator, kills and eats another organism, its prey. It is one of a family of common feeding behaviours that includes parasitism and micropredation (which usually do not kill ...

scavenger Scavengers are animals that consume Corpse decomposition, dead organisms that have died from causes other than predation or have been killed by other predators. While scavenging generally refers to carnivores feeding on carrion, it is also a he ...

s and

omnivore An omnivore () is an animal that regularly consumes significant quantities of both plant and animal matter. Obtaining energy and nutrients from plant and animal matter, omnivores digest carbohydrates, protein, fat, and fiber, and metabolize t ...

Characteristics

Members of this genus do not have a pedal disc with which to hold themselves in position. Instead they live semi-buried in soft

substrate Substrate may refer to: Physical layers *Substrate (biology), the natural environment in which an organism lives, or the surface or medium on which an organism grows or is attached ** Substrate (aquatic environment), the earthy material that exi ...

surrounded by a parchment-like tube which they secrete. This surrounds the whole anemone up to its crown of

tentacle In zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work main ...

s. Sand grains, debris and shell fragments usually stick to the outer side of the tube. When it is disturbed, the anemone retracts swiftly back into the tube. Some of the larger species can have a column of up to in length. The longitudinal muscles in the trunk are powerful but the transverse ones are weak. The outer ring of tentacles are long and tapering. The tube is flexible and the anemone can extend its tentacles a surprisingly long way. The inner ring of tentacles surrounds the central mouth and assists in pushing food inside.

Species

The following

species A species () is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. It is the basic unit of Taxonomy (biology), ...

are currently included in the genus according to the World Register of Marine Species: * '' Cerianthus bathymetricus'' Mosley, 1877 * '' Cerianthus brasiliensis'' Mello-Leitão, 1919 * ''

Cerianthus filiformis ''Cerianthus filiformis'' is a species of tube-dwelling sea anemone in the family Cerianthidae. It is found throughout the tropical waters of the western Indo-Pacific Ocean. Description ''C. filiformis'' resembles the sea anemone and has a s ...

'' Carlgren, 1893 * '' Cerianthus incertus'' Roule, 1904 * '' Cerianthus japonicus'' Carlgren, 1924 * '' Cerianthus lloydii'' Gosse, 1859 * '' Cerianthus malakhovi'' Molodtsova, 2001 * '' Cerianthus membranaceus'' (Spallanzani, 1784) * '' Cerianthus mortenseni'' Carlgren, 1924 * '' Cerianthus punctatus'' Uchida, 1979 * '' Cerianthus roulei'' Carlgren, 1912 * '' Cerianthus sulcatus'' Kwietniewski, 1898 * '' Cerianthus taedus'' McMurrich, 1910 * '' Cerianthus valdiviae'' Carlgren, 1912 * '' Cerianthus vogti'' Danielssen, 1890

References

Taxa named by Stefano delle Chiaje Cerianthidae Anthozoa genera {{Anthozoa-stub