Banded Tube-Dwelling Anemone

Distribution

The Isarachnanthus species are morphologically very similar but differences exist in distribution and at the molecular level. I. maderensis only occurs on the East coast in the South Atlantic Ocean. Another species, Isarachnanthus cruzi was described from the Canary Islands but was later included in the I. maderensis species.

Behavior

Isarachnanthus anemones extend their tentacles only during the night.

Habitat

These tube anemones dwell in parchment-like tubes immersed in soft sediment.

Reproduction

They have larval stages with long planktonic lifespans. These planktonic forms confounded earlier researchers who classified them as a group of jellyfish.