Skip to main content
Download PDF
  • Published:

The feeding habits of three Mediterranean sea anemone species,Anemonia viridis (Forskål),Actinia equina (Linnaeus) andCereus pedunculatus (Pennant)

Helgoländer Meeresuntersuchungen volume 46, pages 53–68 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

The feeding habits of the Mediterranean sea anemonesCereus pedunculatus, Actinia equina andAnemonia viridis were examined mainly by analysing their coelenteron contents. The three species are opportunistic omnivorous suspension feeders. Main source of food forA. viridis andC. pedunculatus are crustaceans (mainly amphipods and decapods, respectively), while for the midlittoral speciesA. equina, it is organic detritus. Using the same method, the temporal and spatial changes in the diet ofA. viridis were examined. During the whole year, crustaceans seem to be the main source of food forA. viridis. The diet composition of this species, however, differs remarkably in space, possibly reflecting the different composition of the macrobenthic organismic assemblages in different areas. The data collected are compared with the limited bibliographical information.

Literature Cited

  • Chintiroglou, C. & Koukouras, A., 1992. The sea anemone populationAnemonia viridis (Forskål, 1775) and its associated flora and fauna. — Int. Revue ges. Hydrobiol.77(4) (In press).

  • Chintiroglou, C. & Koukouras, A., 1991. Observations on the feeding habits ofCalliactis parasitica (Couch, 1842) (Anthozoa, Cnidaria). — Oceanologica Acta14, 389–396.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crisp, D. J., 1984. Energy flow measurements. In: Methods for the study of marine benthos. Ed. by N. A. Holme & A. D. McIntyre. Blackwell, Oxford, 284–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Den Hartog, J. C., 1986. The queen scallop,Chlamys opercularis (L., 1758) (Bivalvia, Pectinidae) as a food item of the sea anemoneUrticina eques (Gosse, 1860) (Actiniaria, Actiniidae). — Basteria50, 86–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Deniel, C., 1975. Régimes alimentaires d’Arnoglossus thori Kyle et d’Arnoglossus imperialis Rafinesque (Téléostéens—Bothidae) en la baie de Douarnenez. — Revue Trav. Inst. Pêch. marit.39, 105–116.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eleftheriou, A. & Basford, D. J., 1983. The general behaviour and feeding ofCerianthus lloydi Gosse (Anthozoa, Coelenterata). — Cah. Biol. mar.24, 147–158.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ellehauge, O. J., 1978. On the ecology ofEdwardsia longicornis andE. danica (Anthozoa, Actiniaria). — Biokon Rep.7, 13–40.

    Google Scholar 

  • Janssen, H. H. & Möller, H., 1981. Effect of various feeding conditions onAnemonia sulcata. — Zool. Anz.206, 161–170.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koehl, M. A. R., 1977. Effects of the sea anemones on the flow forces they encounter. — J. exp. Biol.69, 87–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Mao, P., 1985. Place de la seicheSepia officinalis (mollusque céphalopode) dans les chaînes alimentaires du golfe normano-breton. — Cah. Biol. mar.26, 331–340.

    Google Scholar 

  • Möller, H., 1978. Nahrungsökologische Untersuchungen anAnemonia sulcata. — Zool. Anz.200, 369–373.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ormond, G. F. R. & Caldwell, S., 1982. The effect of oil pollution on the reproduction and feeding behaviour of the sea anemoneActinia equina. — Mar. Pollut. Bull.13, 118–122.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ottaway, J. R., 1978. Population ecology of the intertidal anemoneActinia tenebrosa. I. Pedal locomotion and intraspecific aggression. — Aust. J. mar. Freshwat. Res.29, 787–802.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pax, F., 1936. Anthozoa. — Tierw. Nord- u. Ostsee3e, 81–317.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pax, F. & Müller, J., 1962. Die Anthozoenfauna der Adria. — Fauna Flora adriat.3, 1–343.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérès, J. M., 1967. The Mediterranean benthos. — Oceanogr. mar. biol.5, 449–533.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérès, J. M., 1982. General features of organismic assemblages in pelagial and benthal. In: Marine ecology. Ed. by O. Kinne, Wiley, Chichester5(1), 9–581.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérès, J. M. & Picard, J., 1964. Nouveau manuel de bionomie benthique de la mer Méditerranée. —Recl. Trav. Stn mar. Endoume31, 1–137.

    Google Scholar 

  • Praët, M., van, 1978. Etude histochimique et ultrastructurale des zones digestive d’Actinia equina L. (Cnidaria, Actiniaria). — Cah. Biol. mar.19, 415–432.

    Google Scholar 

  • Praët, M., van, 1980. Absorption des substances dissoutes dans le milieu, des particules et des produits de la digestion extracellulaire chezActinia equina (Cnidaria, Actiniaria). — Reprod. Nutr. Dev.20, 1393–1399.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Praët, M., van, 1982. Amylase, trypsin- and chymotrypsin-like proteases fromActinia equina L., their role in the nutrition of this sea anemone. — Comp. Biochem. Physiol.72A, 523–528.

    Google Scholar 

  • Praët, M., van, 1983. Régime alimentaire des Actinies. — Bull. Soc. zool. Fr.108, 403–407.

    Google Scholar 

  • Praët, M., van, 1985. Nutrition of sea anemones. — Adv. mar. Biol.22, 65–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rossi, L., 1949. Celenterati del Golfo di Rapallo (Riviera Ligura). — Boll. Ist. Mus. Zool. Univ. Torino2, 1–43.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salvini-Plawen, L. V., 1972. Cnidaria as food-sources for marine invertebrates. — Cah. Biol. mar.13, 385–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlichter, D., 1975a. The importance of dissolved organic compounds in sea water for the nutrition ofAnemonia sulcata Pennant (Coelenterata). In: 9th European Marine Biology Symposium. Ed. by H. Barnes, Aberdeen Univ. Press, Aberdeen, 395–405.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schlichter, D., 1975b. Die Bedeutung in Meerwasser gelöster Glucose für die Ernährung vonAnemonia sulcata (Coelenterata: Anthozoa). — Mar. Biol.29, 283–293.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schlichter, D., 1978. On the ability ofAnemonia sulcata (Coelenterata: Anthozoa) to absorb charged and neutral aminoacids simultaneously. — Mar. Biol.45, 97–104.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schmidt, H., 1972. Prodromus zu einer Monographie der Mediterranen Aktinien. — Zoologica, Stuttg.,42, 1–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sebens, P. K., 1980. The regulation of asexual reproduction and indeterminate body size in the sea anemoneAnthopleura elegantissima (Brandt). — Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole158, 370–382.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sebens, P. K., 1981. The allometry of feeding, energetics and body size in three sea anemone species. — Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole161, 152–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sebens, P. K., 1984. Agonistic behavior in the intertidal sea anemoneAnthopleura xanthogrammica. — Biol. Bull. mar. biol. Lab., Woods Hole166, 457–472.

    Google Scholar 

  • Steele, R. D. & Goreau, I. N., 1977. The breakdown of symbiotic zooxanthellae in the sea anemonePhylliactis flosculifera. — J. Zool., Lond.181, 421–437.

    Google Scholar 

  • Stephenson, T. A., 1935. The British sea anemones. Ray Soc., London,2, 1–426

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiffon, Y., 1976. Nutrition expérimentale chez les Cérianthaires. In: Coelenterate ecology and behaviour. Ed. by G. O. Mackie, Plenum Press, New York, 147–153.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tiffon, Y. & Daireaux, M., 1974. Phagocytose et pinocytose par l’ectoderme et l’endoderme deCerianthus lloydi Gosse. — J. exp. mar. Biol. Ecol.16, 155–166.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zamponi, O. M., 1980. Sobre la alimentacion en Actiniaria (Coelenterata Anthozoa). — Neotropica25, 195–202.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Zoology, University of Thessaloniki, Post Box 134, GR-54006, Thessaloniki, Greece

    Ch. Chintiroglou & A. Koukouras

Authors
  1. Ch. Chintiroglou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. Koukouras
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Chintiroglou, C., Koukouras, A. The feeding habits of three Mediterranean sea anemone species,Anemonia viridis (Forskål),Actinia equina (Linnaeus) andCereus pedunculatus (Pennant). Helgolander Meeresunters 46, 53–68 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02366212

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02366212

Keywords

Helgoland Marine Research

ISSN: 1438-3888

Contact us