Sphenopus marsupialis
©Anne Hoggett: Sphenopus marsupialis on the northern side of Lizard Island away from base of reef, 21 m depth.
©Anne Hoggett: Sphenopus marsupialis on the northern side of Lizard Island away from base of reef, 21 m depth.
©Anne Hoggett: Sphenopus marsupialis on the northern side of Lizard Island away from base of reef, 21 m depth.
Kingdom
Animalia
Phylum
Cnidaria
Class
Hexacorallia
Order
Zoantharia
Family
Sphenopidae
Genus
Sphenopus
Species
Sphenopus marsupialis
Colours
Distinguishing features
A solitary zoanthid with a wide, rounded aboral end that lives in sandy substrate. There are numerous records of the species in off-reef habitats around Lizard Island (ALA accessed 2 Feb 2020).
Size
- Up to 4 cm (polyp height of photographed specimen)
- Up to 9 cm (polyp height of large specimen reported by Fujii and Reimer, 2016)
Synonyms
Distribution
©Atlas of Living Australia: Australian distribution
Web resources
References
References that assist with identification
- Burnett, J.A.H. Benzie, J.A. Beardmore and J.S. Ryland, W.J. (1997). Zoanthids (Anthozoa, Hexacorallia) from the Great Barrier Reef and Torres Strait, Australia: systematics, evolution and a key to species. Coral Reefs, 16: 55-68. LIRS catalog number 90372.
- Fujii, T. and J.D. Reimer (2016). A new solitary free-living species of the genus Sphenopus (Cnidaria, Anthozoa, Zoantharia, Sphenopidae) from Okinawa-jima Island, Japan. Zookeys, 606:11-24, . LIRS catalog number 90305.
- Reimer, J.D., M. Lin, T. Fujii, D.J.W. Lane and B.W. Hoeksema (2012). The phylogenetic position of the solitary zoanthid genus Sphenopus (Cnidaria: Hexacorallia). Contributions to Zoology, 81(1): 43-54. LIRS catalog number 90306.