Stichodactyla gigantea
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| Stichodactlya gigantea | ||||||||||||||
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| Stichodactyla gigantea (Forskål, 1775) |
Stichodactyla gigantea, commonly known as the giant carpet anemone[1] is a species of sea anemone that lives in the Indo-Pacific area, with a diameter usually no larger than 50 centimetres (1.64 feet)[1] with a max of 80 centimetres[2].It can be kept in aquaria but a very challenging species to keep alive and healthy for more than 3-5 years.
[edit] Ecology
S. gigantea resides on shallow seagrass beds or sand flats around 8 centimetres deep (at low tide).[2] Most anemones are treated as sessile, but the ones inhabited by anemonefish are in fact motile.[3] Zooxanthellae are obligate symbionts within the anemone, and are associated as hosts to the common clownfish (A. ocellaris), Clark's anemonefish (A. clarkii), the pink skunk clownfish (A. perideraion), and occasionally with the domino damselfish (D. trimaculatus).[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Fenner, Robert M. The Conscientious Marine Aquarist: A Commonsense Handbook for Successful Saltwater Hobbyists. Shelburne, VT: Microcosm Ltd. 1998
- ^ Mitchell, Jeremy S. 2003. "Mobility of Stichodactlya gigantea sea anemones and implications for resident false clown anemonefish, Amphiprion ocellaris. Environmental Biology of Fishes. Vol. 66:85-90.
- ^ Fautin, D. G., Allen, G. R. 1992. "Field guide to anemonefishes and their host anemones. Western Australian Museum, Perth. 160pp.
