Revision of the genus Actinostella (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Actinioidea) from tropical and subtropical western Atlantic and eastern Pacific: redescriptions, synonymies and sister species

LAURETTA, DANIEL; RODRÍGUEZ, ESTEFANÍA; BARRAGAN, YAMALÍ

Congreso; SICB 2018 Annual Meeting Abstracts; 2018

Sea anemone species of the genus Actinostella live in tropical andsubtropical shallow waters, hiding in crevices or burrowed in thesand. They are characterized by having a marginal ruff harboringzooxanthellae that expands during the day to optimize photosynthesisand retracts at night allowing the anemone to catch prey with thetentacles. Currently, 10 species are considered valid; however, mostof the species within the genus were described in 1800´s or in early1900´s and thus most of the descriptions are incomplete according tonowadays standards. Several species of Actinostella have reporteddistributions covering both, the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean.The morphological and molecular revision of this genus aims tocorroborate species identities and potential synonymies within thegenus. This study will allow to elucidate if species of Actinostelladistributed in both ocean basins (Atlantic and Pacific) were separatedwith the appearance of the Panama Isthmus, or are more related tospecies at each corresponding ocean basin (i.e. Atlantic - Pacific). Incase of finding sister species separated by the Isthmus of Panama,they will represent the first calibration nodes for the phylogenetichistory of sea anemones, a group of soft-bodied corals lackingfossils.