Ecological notes on Actinostella flosculifera (Le Sueur, 1817) (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Actiniidae) in the South-western Atlantic, Brazil

Author(s)

Duran-Fuentes, Jeferson A. ; Mendes, Flavio ; da Costa, Rogerio Caetano ; Pescinelli, Regis Augusto ; Floeter, Sergio R. ; Stampar, Sergio N.

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom; v. 103, p. 6-pg., 2023-02-27.

Abstract

Sea anemones have developed various strategies for interspecific interaction with other organisms and their own ability to obtain food, due to their coevolutionary history, ranging from mutualistic (e.g. clownfish, crustaceans, etc.) and symbiotic associations (zooxanthellae or zoochlorellae) to depredation (e.g. sea slug). This study aims to record some observations on feeding habits and interspecific interactions of Actinostella flosculifera (Le Sueur, 1817) in the locality of Pedra da Sereia in Vila Velha, Espirito Santo, Brazil, and to describe the hunting strategy of the sea slug Spurilla braziliana MacFarland, 1909 and the escape strategy of A. flosculifera. We found that the habitat of A. flosculifera is characterized by shallow pools similar to 10 cm deep at low tides, and this functions as a trap for many organisms and some biowaste (e.g. bones or fish drifting in from nearby populations) that fall into the oral disc. This is the first report of S. braziliana predating on A. flosculifera. We also report interspecific relationships between A. flosculifera with four species of crustaceans: Omalacantha bicornuta (Latreille, 1825), Menippe cf. nodifrons Stimpson, 1859, Alpheus cf. angulosus McClure, 2002, and Alpheus cf. carlae Anker, 2012. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 16/50389-0 - Taxonomy and systematics of Ceriantharia (Cnidaria): an integrative approach
• Grantee: Sérgio Nascimento Stampar
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 20/16589-7 - Biogeographical patterns of the sea anemone species Actinostella flosculifera (Le Sueur, 1817) (Cnidaria; Anthozoa; Actiniaria) and a population study of the coasts of eastern Central and South America and the Canary Islands
• Grantee: Jeferson Alexis Durán Fuentes
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master