Anthopleura xanthogrammica

Green Riesenanemone ( Anthopleura xanthogrammica )

The Green Riesenanemone ( Anthopleura xanthogrammica ) is one of the largest sea anemones ( Actiniaria ) and belongs to the class Anthozoa ( Anthozoa ).

Features

Giant green anemones live with zooxanthellae and Zoochlorellen (green algae) in symbiosis, which give them the green color. Since they are carnivores, these seaweed organic ingredients that make the Green Riesenanemone tasty. In caves they lose their color quickly and become white. While they are in brighter, the tentacles are dark olive green to brown over. You can reach a diameter of 10 to 25 cm and a body height of 7 to 25 cm and are thus among the largest sea anemones. The tentacles are covered with thousands of strong stinging nematocytes. For people but they are non-toxic. Although they can slowly move on its suction cup, they usually remain all their lives on the same rocky place standing. When the sea ebbs, they contract their tentacles and close in order to prevent drying.

Occurrence

Giant green anemones are common in the northeastern Pacific Ocean from Alaska to Panama on rocky shores in the intertidal zone.

Nutrition

Giant green anemones feed on detached shells, sea urchins, small fish and crabs. Mussels make many areas of a main part of the diet. The Green Riesenanemone one of the few predators of the sea slug Aplysia californica, the California sea hare. The prey is paralyzed with the stinging cells. Your small flagella carrying prey in the gastric cavity through the opening in the center of the oral disc. Is the food digested, the feces are excreted through the same opening again. Despite the poisonous stinging cells of the hermit crab Pagurus Samuel lives with the Greens sea anemones.

Enemies

Giant anemones are of crabs, sea spiders ( including Pycnogonum stearnsi ) and starfish (especially Dermasterias imbricata ) eaten. Important predators are various marine gastropods, including some nudibranch Aeolidia papillosa as which grazes the tentacles, and spiral staircase snails - in Southern California, among others Opalia borealis, Opalia chacei and Opalia funiculata that bore their proboscis into the body of the sea anemone, and tinctum in the intertidal zone Epitonium, which also eats tentacles.

Reproduction

From late spring to summer give the male sperm from to stimulate the females, also leave their eggs. Fertilization occurs in the water. You can also propagate asexually by budding, cell division or wounds on the foot.