Dr. Vreni Häussermann, Chile
Info
Anthoparactis fossii is a rather small anemone from the Chilean part of Patagonia:
Here are the known size data: Oral disc 4 to 7 mm in diameter, pedal disc 3 to 5 mm in diameter, body column 6 to 14 mm long and 3 to 8 mm in diameter, tentacles 2 to 4 mm long.
Brownish oral disc shows lighter radial bands from base of tentacles to almost mouth opening, more pronounced in first and second cycle (with wider bands corresponding to higher cycles).
Actinopharynx is brown, tentacles are translucent brown, with few faint darker or lighter longitudinal lines on oral side in some specimens
Body column uniformly light brown in color or more intensely colored in the most distal region.
Forty-eight tentacles arranged hexamerically in four cycles, length of polyps when elongate slightly longer than diameter of oral disc, outer tentacles slightly shorter than inner ones.
Oral disc circular, mouth opening central, slightly oval.
The anemone is buried in coarse sand (with shell fragments and sea urchin spines) or among small rocks, with only the oral disc visible on the substrate, into which they retreat when disturbed.
The pedal disc is attached to buried stones or rocks.
The species is not very common and not easily seen; at six sites, scientists found only a few specimens sharing habitat with Condylanthus sp., a small unidentified anemone, and an indeterminate red endomyary
Etymology
The species name is named after Fossi (Günter Försterra), who discovered the species in 2005 with Vreni Häussermann, and collected specimens in 2011.
Etymology
The genus name is composed of ''Antho'', a common prefix for actinic genera meaning "flower", and the generic name ''Paractis'' because Anthoparactis is most similar to the existing genus Isoparactis.
We would like to thank Vreni Häussermann for sending us the first photo of this kind.
Here are the known size data: Oral disc 4 to 7 mm in diameter, pedal disc 3 to 5 mm in diameter, body column 6 to 14 mm long and 3 to 8 mm in diameter, tentacles 2 to 4 mm long.
Brownish oral disc shows lighter radial bands from base of tentacles to almost mouth opening, more pronounced in first and second cycle (with wider bands corresponding to higher cycles).
Actinopharynx is brown, tentacles are translucent brown, with few faint darker or lighter longitudinal lines on oral side in some specimens
Body column uniformly light brown in color or more intensely colored in the most distal region.
Forty-eight tentacles arranged hexamerically in four cycles, length of polyps when elongate slightly longer than diameter of oral disc, outer tentacles slightly shorter than inner ones.
Oral disc circular, mouth opening central, slightly oval.
The anemone is buried in coarse sand (with shell fragments and sea urchin spines) or among small rocks, with only the oral disc visible on the substrate, into which they retreat when disturbed.
The pedal disc is attached to buried stones or rocks.
The species is not very common and not easily seen; at six sites, scientists found only a few specimens sharing habitat with Condylanthus sp., a small unidentified anemone, and an indeterminate red endomyary
Etymology
The species name is named after Fossi (Günter Försterra), who discovered the species in 2005 with Vreni Häussermann, and collected specimens in 2011.
Etymology
The genus name is composed of ''Antho'', a common prefix for actinic genera meaning "flower", and the generic name ''Paractis'' because Anthoparactis is most similar to the existing genus Isoparactis.
We would like to thank Vreni Häussermann for sending us the first photo of this kind.
