Stichodactylidae is a family of

sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...

s that contains the

genera Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family as used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In binomial nomenclature, the genus name forms the first part of the binomial s ...

Stichodactyla ''Stichodactyla'' is a genus of sea anemones, of the family Stichodactylidae. They are host anemones, which maintain a relationship mutualistic with other animals, in their case with crabs of the genus '' Mithraculus'', shrimp of the gen ...

'' (carpet anemones) and '' Radianthus''. These species reside exclusively within the shallow waters of the tropical

Indo-Pacific The Indo-Pacific is a vast biogeographic region of Earth. In a narrow sense, sometimes known as the Indo-West Pacific or Indo-Pacific Asia, it comprises the tropical waters of the Indian Ocean, the western and central Pacific Ocean, and the ...

area and are in the main family of sea anemones that hosts several varieties of

clownfish Clownfishes or anemonefishes (genus ''Amphiprion'') are saltwater fishes found in the warm and tropical waters of the Indo-Pacific. They inhabit mainly coral reefs and have a distinctive colouration typically consisting of white vertical bars on ...

es. Most species of sea anemones are harmless to humans, but at least some species of the genus ''Stichodactyla'' are highly venomous and their sting may cause

anaphylactic shock Anaphylaxis (Greek: 'up' + 'guarding') is a serious, potentially fatal allergic reaction and medical emergency that is rapid in onset and requires immediate medical attention regardless of the use of emergency medication on site. It typically ...

and organ failure (notably

acute liver failure Acute liver failure is the appearance of severe complications rapidly after the first signs (such as jaundice) of liver disease, and indicates that the liver has sustained severe damage (loss of function of 80–90% of liver cells). The complicati ...

). In contrast, the venom of ''Radianthus'' spp. has shown potential in the treatment of

lung cancer Lung cancer, also known as lung carcinoma, is a malignant tumor that begins in the lung. Lung cancer is caused by genetic damage to the DNA of cells in the airways, often caused by cigarette smoking or inhaling damaging chemicals. Damaged ...

Discovery

C. Collingwood first reported species of the genus ''Stichodactylidae'' in 1868 after taking note of the existence of gigantic sea-anemones in the China Sea, containing quasi-parasitic fish.

Genera and species

The following species are recognized within the family Stichodactylidae: *Genus '' Radianthus'' Kwietniewski, 1896 **''

Radianthus crispa The sebae anemone (''Radianthus crispa''), also known as leathery sea anemone, long tentacle anemone, or purple tip anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Stichodactylidae and native to the Indo-Pacific. It was first described in 183 ...

'' (Hemprich & Ehrenberg in Ehrenberg, 1834) **''

Radianthus doreensis ''Radianthus doreensis'', also known as long tentacle anemone and corkscrew tentacle sea anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family (biology), family Stichodactylidae. Description ''Radianthus doreensis'' has relatively few tentacles. Th ...

'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) **''

Radianthus magnifica ''Radianthus magnifica'', also known by as magnificent sea anemone or Ritteri anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Stichodactylidae that is native to the Hawaii, USA, Indo-Pacific. Description The magnificent sea anemone is charact ...

'' (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833) **''

Radianthus malu ''Radianthus malu'', also known as the malu anemone, delicate sea anemone or white sand anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Stichodactylidae. Description This anemone has stout, sparse tentacles, almost always under 40mm in lengt ...

'' (Haddon & Shackleton, 1893) *Genus ''

'' Brandt, 1835 (carpet anemones) **''

Stichodactyla gigantea ''Stichodactyla gigantea'', commonly known as the giant carpet anemone, is a species of sea anemone that lives in the Hawaii, USA, North America, and Indo-Pacific area. It can be kept in an aquarium but is a very challenging species to keep aliv ...

'' (Forsskål, 1775) **''

Stichodactyla haddoni ''Stichodactyla haddoni'', commonly known as Haddon's sea anemone, is a species of sea anemone belonging to the family Stichodactylidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific area. Description ''S. haddoni'' is characterized by a folded oral disc that ...

'' (Saville-Kent, 1893) **''

Stichodactyla helianthus ''Stichodactyla helianthus'', commonly known as sun anemone, is a sea anemone of the family Stichodactylidae. ''Helianthus'' stems from the Greek words ἡλιος (meaning sun), and ἀνθος, meaning flower. ''S. helianthus'' is a large, gr ...

'' (Ellis, 1768) **''

Stichodactyla mertensii ''Stichodactyla mertensii'', commonly known as Mertens' carpet sea anemone, is a species of sea anemones in the family Stichodactylidae. It is regarded as the largest sea anemone with a diameter of over , the next largest being '' Heteractis mag ...

'' Brandt, 1835 **''

Stichodactyla tapetum ''Stichodactyla tapetum'', commonly known as maxi-mini carpet anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Stichodactylidae. It is found in the Indo-Pacific area, primarily around Vietnam. Description ''S. tapetum'' is characterized by an ...

'' (Hemprich & Ehrenberg in Ehrenberg, 1834)

Gallery

Image:Stapetum.1.jpg, ''Stichodactyla tapetum'' File:Heteractis_aurora_timor.jpg, ''Heteractis aurora'' File:Sea anemone - Tokyo aquarium - Aug 14 2021.webm, Stichodactylidae

References

Cnidarian families Taxa named by Angelo Andres {{Actiniaria-stub