Shallow-Water Sea Anemones (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Actiniaria) and Tube Anemones (Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Ceriantharia) of the Galápagos Islands

Abstract

We provide the first inventory of members of orders Actiniaria (sea anemones sensu stricto) and Ceriantharia (tube anemones) from the Galápagos Islands. Based on observations and collections at 48 localities throughout the archipelago that span nearly a decade, we report on eight species of actiniarians (representing families Actiniidae, Actinostolidae, Aiptasiidae, Hormathiidae, and Isophelliidae) and two of cerianthids (in families Arachnactidae and Botrucnidiferidae). We include live photographs and diagnostic features of the animals, as well as a key and map of their occurrence in the Galápagos. Two actiniarians and one cerianthid are resolved only to genus level; of those identified to species, three of the actiniarians and one of the cerianthids have an eastern Pacific distribution, one actiniarian appears to be endemic to the Galápagos Islands, and two actiniarians are broadly distributed in the Indo-West Pacific.