''Stichodactyla'' 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 ...

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, of the family

Stichodactylidae Stichodactylidae is a family of sea anemones that contains the genera '' Stichodactyla'' (carpet anemones) and '' Radianthus''. These species reside exclusively within the shallow waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific area and are in the main famil ...

. They are host anemones, which maintain a relationship mutualistic with other animals, in their case with crabs of the genus '' Mithraculus'', shrimp of the genus '' Periclimenes '', and with various species 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 ...

, of the genus ''

Amphiprion 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 ...

'', establishing a relationship of coexistence. In this way, crabs and fish protect themselves from their predators between the stinging tentacles of the anemone, and the anemone benefits from the cleaning of its oral disc and tentacles as a result of the continuous movements of the animals.

Species

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 ...

accepts the following species:Fautin, D. (2015). Stichodactyla. In: Fautin, Daphne G. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=267869. Consultado el 18-11-2024. * ''

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 ...

'' (Forskål, 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)

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1291718 Stichodactylidae Hexacorallia genera