Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

1981

Document Type

Thesis

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Abstract

This study investigates the taxonomic status and relationships of Florida shallow water sea anemones in two groups: the order Corallimorpharia, and the tribe Boloceroidaria in the order Actiniaria. Ten species (all Caribbean forms) are redescribed with emphasis on the types, sizes, and distributions of nematocysts. Seven species are new to the United States. In the Corallimorpharia, Ricordea is considered a corallimorphid specialized by a single adaptive shift, to symbiosis with zooxanthellae. Discosoma torpida is treated as the fourth Caribbean representative of that genus, distinct from D. sanctithomae. Spirocysts occur in Discosoma spp. In the Boloceroidaria, Viatrix (= Bunodeopsis) has the type-species v. globulifera (Duchassaing, 1850) and two other Caribbean species: V. reclinata (= pelagica) andy. eugenia(= antilliensis). Alicia mirabilis and Lebrunia danae share distinctive nematocyst types with acontiate Mesomyaria (Diadumenidae, Aiptasiidae).

Extent

210 p.

Comments

Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1981.|Charles E. Schmidt College of Science|Thesis (M.S.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1981.

Identifier

FADT14089

Format

pdf

Download

Share

COinS