Corallimorphidae Family of Coral Anemones

Strawberry Anemone, Corynactus californica.  A representative of the Corallimorphidae Family.

Phylogeny:  The Coral Anemones are a member of the Corzllimorphidae Family, and are also known at False Corals or Mushroom Anemones. Like stony corals, jellyfish, and hydroids, the belong to the Phylum Cnidaria. They are in the Class Anthozoa and the Order Corallimorpharia.

Distribution. Coral Anemones of the Corzllimorphidae Family are found worldwide, in tropical, temperate, and polar waters. Their family is small with only twenty-three members. Only one species is found in Mexican waters the Strawberry Anemone along the Pacific Coast. They range in depth from the intertidal zone to depths exceeding 5,000 m (16,400 feet) and reside as solitary or colonial individuals that do not possess a calcareous skeleton. Corallimorphs may be found attached to hard surfaces or anchored to soft substrates.

Morphology:  Corallimorphs have radial symmetry, a hallow digestive cavity, and specialized stinging structure in tentacles surrounding the mouth. They are similar to hard corals in their internal structure, but they lack an external skeleton. They differ from True Anemones in that their tentacles end in knobs and their tentacles are not retractile. They have narrow columns that are often hidden by the disc. The tentacles may be relatively long or so short as to just appear as bumps around the disc. Corallimorphs are often brightly colored with a flower-like appearance.. Most Corallimorphs are small, with a disc measuring between 1 cm (0.4 inches) and 2 cm (0.8 inches) in diameter. Some deep-water species may have disc widths be up to 30 cm (12  inches).

Ecosystem Roles:  Corallimorphs are predators that consume crustaceans, echinoderms, fish, mollusks and other invertebrates via utilization of the stinging cells present within their tentacles to paralyze their prey. Some shallow water species also possess zooxanthellate having a symbiotic relationship with these single-cell dinoflagellates. The zooxanthellae produce energy, during daylight, via photosynthesis and pass along the energy to their hosts, sometimes providing up to 90% of the host’s total energy needs. In return, the host provides nutrients, carbon dioxide, and a secure, sunlit, platform for the zooxanthellae. In turn they are preyed up by annelid worms, fish, and starfish. Some species have commensal or symbiotic relationships with fish or shrimp. Their attachment to the substrate is not permanent or fixed in one location. They can crawl slowly, while remaining attached. Also, many species can detach from the substrate and drift or roll, to escape predators. Some Corallimorphs secrete a toxin that repels hard corals and other encrusting organisms, thereby reducing completion for space and food. Some species of Corallimorphs are highly invasive when introduced to coral reef ecosystems.

Reproduction:  Coral Anemones reproduce both asexually, by budding and fission and sexually.