Epiactis mortenseni
Description 1
Habitat
Column
Oral disc
Tentacles
Distribution
An edited version of Papers from Dr. Th. Mortensen's Pacific Expedition 1914-16. XXI.
Actiniaria from New Zealand and its Subantarctic Islands.
By Oskar Carlgren, Lund.
Margin distinct with a well developed fossa. Cinclides in the region of the margin. Tentacles of the same number as the mesenteries, in large specimens 70-88. Longitudinal muscles of the tentacles and radial muscles of the oral disc palisade-like arranged. 2 siphonoglyphes with long aboral prolongations. Embryos developing in a deep circular fold round the column.
Colour?
Dimensions of the largest specimen in contracted state : Breadth of the pedal disc 2.2 cm, height of the column 2 cm.
Occurrence. Auckland Islands, Carnley Harbour, under stones, low-water. Campbell Island, Perseverance Harbour. Under stones, low water.
Pedal disc is wide. Column, as far I can see, without sucking warts, in the Auckland-specimens very contracted, so that there have arised deep circular and shallower longitudinal rows. 4 of the Auckland-specimens and 4 of the Campbell-specimens bear small young arranged in a more or less distinct annulus round the column. In one specimen there was round the column a deep fold, in which several young were hidden wholly or for the greater part. In some of the other specimens provided with young the circular fold for the young was hardly differentiated from the other circular folds of the column. The embryos had mostly immigrated from the brood-pouch. It is namely clear that we have to do with a species, the young of which develop their first stages in a brood-pouch of the same kind as in Cricophorus nutrix (compare this species). The margin is distinct with a deep fossa. In sections through the marginal region I have observed cinclides (stated in 5 specimens). The tentacles are hexamerously arranged. The youngest cycle is incomplete. The number of tentacles varies in the larger specimens from 70 to 88. Strange to say I have not observed the largest number in the largest specimens. Two specimens, each with 88 tentacles, were not more than 1 resp. 1.8cm broad at the pedal disc and 0.5 resp. 1cm high, while 3 specimens with a pedal disc of 2.3 resp. 2.3 and 2cm diameter and with a column 1.9, 1.8 and 1.5cm high had at most 76 tentacles. The tentacles were short, conical and in consequence of a bad preservation strongly depressed in the apex and here with a wide perforation. The oral disc is radially furrowed.
Edited version of New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
Epiactis thompsoni (Coughtrey, 1875) and E. mortenseni (Carlgren, 1924)
by J. R. Ottaway (1975)
I have found 2 specimens of E. mortenseni at South Bay, Kaikoura,and one specimen outside the Edward Percival Marine Laboratory,Kaikoura (42° 25' S, 173° 42'E). All three specimens had reddish tentacles and columns with alternating longitudinal stripes of red and olive-green. One of the South Bay specimens was found under a stone at extreme low water spring tides; the other two were attached to Cystophora sp. about 50 m from shore in 4 m depth
References 1
Note any thumbnails in this section are only to indicate what that reference shows while this page is being built. They have not yet been verified, don't assume they are correct examples.
- http://www.seafriends.org.nz/enviro/habitat/rscnida.htm
- http://portphillipmarinelife.net.au/species/5664
- http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/00288330.1975.9515563
http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_07/rsnz_07_00_003780.html (as Actinia thompsoni)
http://rsnz.natlib.govt.nz/volume/rsnz_41/rsnz_41_00_005160.html (as Leiotealia thompsoni)http://www.rodmorris.co.nz/search#q=Epiactis+thompsoni
http://www.rodmorris.co.nz/New-Zealand-Seashore/New-Zealand-Seashore/n-2GZnF/i-tPpL8Wc- http://www.niwa.co.nz/media-gallery/detail/109731/31697
- http://www.marinelife.ac.nz/species/815
- The New Zealand Sea Shore John Morton and Michael Miller, 1968, p158-9
- NZ Coastal Marine Invertebrates Vol 1 by Steve de C. Cook, p155
- Papers from Dr. Th. Mortensen's Pacific Expedition 1914-16. XXI., Actiniaria from New Zealand and its Subantarctic Islands., By Oskar Carlgren, Lund.
Sources and Credits
- (c) Tony Wills, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
