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'' (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 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''
(Hemprich & Ehrenberg in Ehrenberg, 1834)
**''
Radianthus doreensis''
(Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
**''
Radianthus magnifica''
(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 ''
Stichodactyla''
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''
(Saville-Kent, 1893)
**''
Stichodactyla helianthus''
(Ellis, 1768)
**''
Stichodactyla mertensii''
Brandt, 1835
**''
Stichodactyla tapetum''
(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