Andvakiidae Family of Club Tip Sea Anemones

Panamanian Clubbed Anemone, Telmatactis  panamensis. A representative of the Andvakiidae Family of Club Tip Sea Anemone.

Phylogeny: Club Tip Sea Anemones of the Andvakiidae Family, like stony corals, jelly fish, and hydroids, are of the Phylum Cnidaria. They are in the subphylum Anthozoa, the class Hexacorallia, the order Actiniaria, the suborder Enthemonae, and the superfamily Metridioidea. The Andvakiidae Family is one of twenty-nine families in this superfamily. The Andvakiidae Family contains eleven genera and fifty-nine species. The name Andvakiidae comes from the Old Norse words meaning “sleeplessness”, “insomnia”, or “vigilance”. This refers to the nocturnal activity some species in this family. Species in this family are also commonly called Andvakiids.

Morphology:  Andvakiid polyps have radial symmetry, a hollow digestive cavity, and specialized stinging cells within the tentacles that surround their mouth. Their polyps have a flower-like appearance. These solitary hexacorals lack a calcareous skeleton and rely on hydrostatic pressure for support. Club Tip Sea Anemones have column bases that are either rounded (for digging and anchoring) or an adherent disk. The column may be smooth, wrinkled, or covered with verrucae (warts). These verrucae may be adhesive, often with sand or gravel attached, or non-adhesive. The column is covered with a strong cuticle. Andvakiids have tentacles arranged in concentric whorls around the  oral disk. The number of tentacles can range from a few to very many. Despite the Club Tip name, the tentacles may be the same diameter their whole length, or constrict and then expand at the tip. The mouth is usually encircled by wrinkled lips. These anemones are often colorful. The burrowing species of the Club Tip Sea Anemones are smaller and average 1.0 cm (0.4 inches) to 3.0 cm (1.2 inches) in height. The species attached to hard surfaces are larger, reaching 10 cm (3.9 inches) in both height and disk diameter. Some sources extend the disk diameter to 15 cm (5.8 inches).

Habitat and Distribution: Club Tip Sea Anemones may be found in sand or mud, or attached to rocks, corals, and other hard surfaces. They live from the intertidal zone, to depths of up to 450 m (1,476 feet). Club Tip Sea Anemones have a cosmopolitan distribution, primarily  in tropical seas. At least four species from this family are found in Mexican waters.

Reproduction:  Club Tip Sea Anemones may be gonochoric (male or female for life) or simultaneous hermaphrodites (having both male and female reproductive organs). They generally reproduce sexually through broadcast spawning, with external fertilization, though some species brood their eggs internally. They also reproduce asexually, by budding or fission.

Ecosystem Roles:  Club Tip Sea Anemones are predators that use their stinging tentacles to capture small crustaceans, mollusks, and zooplankton such as copepods, and floating eggs They possess stinging cells that paralyze their prey and their tentacles pass the prey to the mouth. Club Tip Sea Anemones azooxanthellate. Club Tip Sea Anemones utilize stinging tentacles for defense from some predators. They are preyed upon by fish, nudibranchs, gastropods, and sea stars.