Exaiptasia is a genus of sea anemone in the family Aiptasiidae, native to shallow waters in the temperate western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It is monotypic with a single species, Exaiptasia diaphana, and commonly known as the brown anemone, glass anemone, pale anemone, or simply as Aiptasia.
Ca
CarnivoreA carnivore meaning 'meat eater' is an organism that derives its energy and nutrient requirements from a diet consisting mainly or exclusively of a...
Se
SedentarySedentary animals lead such a type of lifestyle in which little to or no physical activity is done. These are mostly marine bottom-dwelling animals...
Ov
OviparousOviparous animals are female animals that lay their eggs, with little or no other embryonic development within the mother. This is the reproductive...
E
starts withExaiptasia diaphana has a slender brownish or whitish translucent column up to 2.5 cm (1 in) long, girdled by two rows of slits through which acontia (threads armed with nematocysts) can protrude. The oral disc, up to 1 cm (0.4 in) wide, has a central mouth surrounded by a whorl of up to 96 variable-length tentacles; a few of these are extra long, the majority are fairly long and a few are short.
Exaiptasia diaphana is a common species of sea anemone occurring in the western Atlantic Ocean, round the coast of the United States from Maine to Florida, and throughout the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. It occurs in a range of habitats including shallow areas with hard substrates and mangrove swamps.
Exaiptasia diaphana is a zooxanthellate species and has a symbiotic relationship with dinoflagellates, single celled photosynthetic organisms which are incorporated into its tissues.
Exaiptasia diaphana is a fast growing species that can quickly cover underwater surfaces. It is preyed on by several nudibranchs, including Berghia coerulescens, Berghia stephanieae and Spurilla neapolitana. The nudibranchs tend to acquire the brownish colour of the zooxanthellae found in the sea anemone's tissues; they also incorporate the anemone's nematocysts into their bodies, which may serve a defensive function.
