anemone Edwardsiella ignota

Edwardsiella ignota was first described from specimens collected in Chile at depths from 40 to 60 meters; this photo was taken at 24 meters depth on Ross Island (Cape Armitage or Little Razorback Island) [2,5]. E. ignota can have twenty to forty tentacles, with the inner tentacles larger and longer than the other ones, and a thin cuticle on the lower part of its column [2,4]. Edwardsiella ignota can be distinguished from Edwardsia meridionalis by the number of tentacles (in live and preserved material), and the coloration pattern (live material only) [1].

Edwardsiella anemones do not burrow, and are usually found in worm holes or holes and crevices among rocks [3,6]. Edwardsiella anemones have three cycles of tentacles, are ridged on the upper-most part of their column, and have a thickened cuticle on the lower part of their column [3,4,6]. Members of the anemone family Edwardsiidae are generally small and shy; they are seldom found, with the result being that knowledge of their distribution is patchy [3].

Taxonomic Note: First described by Carlgren as Fagesia ignota [2]. Carlgren noted the tentacle count and other anatomical details for Fagesia in an earlier work [4]. The genus Fagesia is a junior synonym of Edwardsiella [3,6].

1: Marymegan Daly, personal communication, 2001; 2: Corallimorpharia and Actiniaria with Description of a New Genus and Species from Peru. O Carlgren. Lunds Universitets Arsskrift. Ny Foljd, Avd. 2. Band 56. No. 6. Kungliga Fysiografiska Sallskapet Handlingar. Ny Foljd, Band 71, No. 6. Reports of the Lund University Chile Expedition 1948- 49. Number 38. Lund: CWK Gleerup, 1959; 3: British Anthozoa: Keys and Notes for the Identification of the Species. RL Manuel. Synposes of the British Fauna, New Series, 18. London : Academic Press, 1981; 4: A Survey of the Ptychodactiaria, Corallimorpharia and Actiniaria. O. Carlgren. Stockholm : Almqvist & Wiksells Boktryckeri AB, 1949. Kungliga Svenska Vetenskaps-Akademiens Handlingar, 4th Series, Band 1, No. 1; 5: Norbert Wu, personal communication, 2001; 6: Phylogenetic Systematics of the Edwardsiidae (Cnidaria: Anthozoa). M Daly. PhD Dissertation, 2001. George Washington University

Text ©Peter Brueggeman. Photograph ©Norbert Wu. Photographs may not be used in any form without the express written permission of Norbert Wu. Norbert Wu no longer grants permission for uncompensated use of his photos under any circumstances whatsoever; want more info?