The life span of Anthopleura sola is not known, although evidence suggests that they may live for a century or more. In one case, specimens of A. sola lived in captivity for eighty years and only perished due to human error (Ricketts et al. 1985).
Anthopleura sola is not listed as an endangered or threatened species. A. sola appears to be doing well throughout its geographical range.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
Studies are being conducted on the medicinal properties of Anthopleura sola tissue. A crude extract of Anthopleura sola has demonstrated antitumor activity against two experimental mouse tumors, P-388 lymphocytic leukemia and Ehrlich ascites tumor. The extract also showed cardiac stimulatory activity on isolated rat atria. Separate constituents of A. sola are responsible for these three biological activities (Quinn et al. 1974).
Anthopleura sola are carnivorous and feed on almost anything offered when hungry including copepods, isopods, amphipods, and other small animals that come into contact with their tentacles. The anemones grasp prey with their tentacles, which harbor stinging structures called nematocysts that they paralyze the prey. Once paralyzed, the prey is ingested and later expelled as pieces of shell and other debris through a central mouth (Ricketts et al. 1985; Pitkin 1995; Salinas 2000).
Animal Foods: fish; aquatic crustaceans; other marine invertebrates
Primary Diet: carnivore (Eats non-insect arthropods)
Anthopleura sola is found in the Pacific Ocean, along the west coast of North America from Alaska to Baja California.
Biogeographic Regions: pacific ocean (Native )
Anthopleura sola commonly lives on exposed rocky surfaces and in tidepools and crevices. It is found in the middle intertidal zone of semiprotected rocky coastlines of both the outer coast and bays. It is a hardy species that survives well in areas where there is industrial pollution or sewage.
Habitat Regions: temperate ; saltwater or marine
Aquatic Biomes: benthic ; coastal
Other Habitat Features: intertidal or littoral
Anthopleura sola is found in clonal groups of aggregating individuals. Individuals range from 2-5 cm across the oral disc, but are usually less then 3.5 cm across. The disc can be twice that size when extended. Solitary animals are larger, averaging 6.5 cm across the oral disc; once considered a solitary form of the same species, these larger, non-cloning individulas have recently been described as a sibling species, Anthopleura sola (Pearse and Francis, 2000). Anthopleura sola has short tentacles with pink or lavender tips. There are radiating lines and other patterns on the oral disc. The column is green to white with large rounded tubercles, called verrucae, arranged in vertical rows. Anthopleura sola is often covered with sand, shells, and rocks which adhere to its tubercles and serve as protection from desiccation and solar radiation and provide camouflage against predators. Males and females of A. sola appear similar.
Some of the color variation in Anthopleura sola is due to golden-brown photosynthetic dinoflagellates (zooxanthellae) and/or green unicellular algae (zoochlorellae) that live in the tissue that lines the digestive tract of A. sola. These photosynthetic symbionts provide the green coloring and nutrients to *A. elegantissima*. Anthopleura sola that are white in color lack these symbionts and are usually found in areas of deep shade. Individuals that contain symbionts respond to light conditions, either moving toward or away from light until the right intensity is found. Anthopleura sola are unusual because they play the role of both producer and consumer in intertidal communities, and it is believed that they contribute at the same rate to primary productivity as do some intertidal algae. (Ricketts et al. 1985; Francis 1979; Salinas 2000; Pearse and Francis, 2000).
Other Physical Features: ectothermic ; heterothermic ; radial symmetry
Anthopleura sola can reproduce both sexually and asexually, although most individuals reproduce asexually. Anthopleura sola are either male or female. The gonads are in the gastrovascular cavity, and eggs and sperm are released through the mouth.
In sexually reproducing A. sola, gametes are released during the summer and fall into the surrounding water. A planula larva forms after fertilization. The free-swimming larva undergoes further development and then settles down to form a new sessile anemone. Large numbers of gametes are produced, although very few larvae will survive to adulthood due to predation and the inability to find suitable habitat. Sexual reproduction results in new genetic combinations and a chance for the larvae to disperse away from their parents and populate new territories.
Asexual reproduction is a form of growth and seems to occur when an individual has found a suitable habitat. Anthopleura sola reproduces asexually by longitudinal fission. During longitudinal fission, the anemone divides into half forming two smaller anemones. Asexually reproduction takes place mainly from September to March and may be triggered by a reduction in food supply. Asexual reproduction results in genetically identical clones that have the same color patterns and sex. These clones rapidly spread out and form large aggregations of individuals, hence the common name of aggregating anemone (Johnson et al. 1977; Ricketts et al. 1985; Salinas 2000).
Key Reproductive Features: seasonal breeding ; gonochoric/gonochoristic/dioecious (sexes separate); sexual ; asexual ; fertilization (External ); broadcast (group) spawning
Parental Investment: no parental involvement
The starburst anemone or sunburst anemone (Anthopleura sola) is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. The sunburst anemone was formerly considered the solitary form of the common aggregating anemone, but was identified as a separate species in 2000.[1]
The sunburst anemone is a solitary anemone that averages 12 cm but can grow up to 25 cm wide, much larger than the aggregating anemone.[2] The column is pale green to white in color and is twice as long as its width when extended. The column has numerous sticky protuberances (verrucae) arranged in vertical rows to which gravel and shell fragments adhere. The oral disc is radially striped and has five rings of thick, pointed feeding tentacles. Tentacles are pale with the tips colored in pink, blue or lavender.[3]
The sunburst anemone can be differentiated from the aggregating anemone by its larger size and usual solitary form. It is differentiated from Anthopleura xanthogrammica by the coloration of the tentacle tips, striped oral disk, and vertical rows of verrucae.
The color of the anemone is partly caused by symbiotic Zooxanthellae in the gastrodermal layer. This species of anemone reproduces sexually.
The sunburst anemone is found in the north west Pacific Ocean. In the United States it occurs between central California and Baja California. It lives in the lower intertidal zone in rocky habitats, often in the shelter of cracks and crevices. When the tide is out it is often concealed by shell fragments and other particles that adhere to it.[3] It also occurs in the subtidal, often in kelp forests, to depths of at least 20 m.[4]
The sunburst anemone aggressively defends its territory from other anemones which are genetically dissimilar. When it encounters a different genetic colony, the anemones extend specialized tentacles (called acrorhagi). The white tips of acrorhagi have a concentration of stinging cells (nematocytes) and are used solely to deter other colonies from encroaching on their space. The nematocysts sting the ectoderm of the invader, causing tissue necrosis and forcing the competitor to move away. The similar aggregating anemone also possesses acrorhagi.
In a California tide pool, Anthopleura sola fight for territory using their white stinging acrorhagi. The starburst anemone or sunburst anemone (Anthopleura sola) is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae. The sunburst anemone was formerly considered the solitary form of the common aggregating anemone, but was identified as a separate species in 2000.
