Cerianthus lloydii are rarely caught by fishing boats since they retreat into their tubes as the trawl net approaches. Divers are usually able to dig out younger and thus smaller animals from their tubes without too much laborious and time-consuming work. (Grzimek 1972)
The class Anthozoa, the class that the Cerianthus lloydii belongs to, has 6200+ species. They are very plentiful in the oceanic world. (Raven and Johnson 1999)
There are no real negative issues of the Cerianthus lloydii.
Cerianthus lloydii are admired for their beauty and resistance. They are found in the aquariums of many people and add color and brightness to the aquarium. Since they come in a variety of colors it is easy to see how they would be admired. (Nichols and Cooke 1971)
Cerianthus lloydii are carnivorous, eating hydromedusa and small crustaceans that swim into their tentacles. If kept in captivity, they may also take small pieces of meat and worms. (Grzimek 1972) Around the mouth opening there are two whorls of tentacles: in the middle are short oral tentacles and, around this, over 100 long, fringing tentacles arranged in up to four rings. (Meglitsch and Schram 1991) Like all Cnidarians, they have no anus so the indigestible food remains are expelled through the mouth. (Grzimek 1972)
Cerianthus lloydii can be found in the Atlantic and North Sea. They inhabite soft substrates such as sand and mud (Grzimek 1972). They can also be found in rock crevices (Banister and Campbell 1985)
Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native )
Cerianthus lloydii live in soft substrates such as sand, mud and rock crevices. They can live along the coastline or deep in the ocean. They have no real boundaries as they can occur deep in the ocean or in shallow water. (Grzimek 1972)
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; coastal
Cerianthus lloydii are anywhere from a few centimeters in length, up to 40 centimeters into the substrate. Cerianthus lloydii vary in color. Their tentacles are usually a delicate brown to gray. Their tentacles can cover a circle almost 60 cm in diameter in search for prey. (Grzimek 1972) Cerianthus lloydii differ from other Cerianthus sp. in their internal anatomy and mode of growth, particularly of the septa in the gut. They live in a tube made of discharged nematocysts and sand grains. They have two groups of tentacles, one encircling the mouth, the other around the edge of the disk. (Banister and Campbell 1972)
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; radial symmetry
The fertilized eggs of Cerianthus lloydii usually develop into planula larva, that settle and develop into polyps. Like other Anthozoa, there are no medusa stages in burrowing anemones. C. lloydii can also reproduce asexually by means of budding off. (Raven and Johnson 1999)
Parental Investment: no parental involvement
Cerianthus lloydii is a species of tube-dwelling sea anemone in the family Cerianthidae. It is sometimes called the lesser cylinder anemone and is found in shallow seas around the coasts of north west Europe.
Cerianthus lloydii was first described by the English naturalist Philip Henry Gosse in 1859. The American zoologist Henry Weed Fowler in 1897 used the name Synarachnactis bournei to describe a juvenile anemone that he had discovered. It was later established that this was in fact the larval stage of C. lloydii. Consequently, the name S. bournei was disallowed and is now considered a junior synonym of C. lloydii.[2]
Cerianthus lloydii grows to about 15 cm (6 in) long. It does not have a pedal disc with which to attach itself to the substrate but instead lives in a flexible parchment-like tube up to 40 cm (16 in) long.[3] This is buried in sand or mud with one end above the surface. Sand grains, debris and shell fragments usually stick to the outer side of the tube and the anemone extends its tentacles above the sediment to feed. The anemone can move freely within the tube and has powerful longitudinal muscles in its column which enable it to retreat swiftly into the tube. Unlike Actiniaria anemones, the tentacles themselves are unable to retract into the column. There are about seventy long, slender, tapering tentacles in an outer ring. These can span about 7 centimetres (2.8 in) when fully extended.[4] The inner ring of tentacles are short and surround the central mouth. They are used to manipulate food particles and push them into the mouth. The general colour of the anemone is pale brown and the tentacles are varying shades of brown, green or cream, often striped with darker brown.[3][5]
Cerianthus lloydii might be confused with a less common species of anemone, Pachycerianthus multiplicatus, but this is rather larger and has about two hundred long outer tentacles giving it a feathery appearance.[4]
Cerianthus lloydii is found in the north east Atlantic Ocean from low water mark down to about 100 metres (330 ft). The range extends from Greenland and the Barents Sea to the Bay of Biscay. This anemone is locally common round the coasts of Britain except for eastern England between the River Tees and the Wash.[5] It is usually found buried in sand, gravel or mud but sometimes inhabits crevices in the rock.[6]
Cerianthus lloydii burrows by arching itself up and inserting its narrow foot into the sediment. Alternate expansions and contractions of the muscles in its body wall enable it to dig its way deeper until only the tentacles project. The fibrous burrow wall is composed of discharged nematocysts and adherent sand.[6] As sedimentation occurs, the tube is lengthened upwards, and may develop disproportionally to the size of the animal; one tube was measured as being a metre long. In extreme cases of sedimentation, when it is in danger of being swamped, the animal can eject itself from its tube, move to a more suitable location and secrete a new tube.[7]
Cerianthus lloydii feeds on zooplankton and small crustaceans that come within reach of its tentacles. It is also a scavenger and in the aquarium can be fed on fragments of meat.[6] Although it reacts fast to threats by retreating into its tube, the lemon sole (Microstomus kitt) is one of several species of fish that feed on it and other sea anemones.[8]
Spawning in Cerianthus lloydii takes place between January and August. The eggs hatch into planula larvae which remain planktonic for about four months. They are at first oval but pass through several stages, becoming more elongated and developing 9 to 11 stumpy marginal tentacles before they settle on the sea bed.[2] There is no medusa stage. Asexual reproduction by budding sometimes takes place.[6]
Cerianthus lloydii is a species of tube-dwelling sea anemone in the family Cerianthidae. It is sometimes called the lesser cylinder anemone and is found in shallow seas around the coasts of north west Europe.
