Monactis vestita ( Gravier, 1918 )

Fautin, D. G., 2012, Taxonomy and distribution of sea anemones (Cnidaria: Actiniaria and Corallimorpharia) from deep water of the northeastern Pacific, Zootaxa 3375, pp. 1-80 : 35-36

Monactis vestita ( Gravier, 1918)

( Figures 26–27, Appendix 11)

Synonym

Paractis vestita: Gravier, 1918

Diagnosis. Body form ( Figure 26) presumably depends on object attached to (gastropod, rock, cylindrical object); body tall, flat, or elongate. Diameter of pedal disc to approximately 40 mm; length of column to 18 mm. Column tan, smooth; margin typically contracted so oral disc hidden. About 32 tentacles; may be hidden by contracted margin. Mesenteries arrayed in four cycles; those of only first cycle complete and with acontia. Acontia difficult to distinguish from filaments. For detailed information on M. vestita , see Gravier (1918), Riemann-Zürneck (1986), Zamponi and Acũna (1992), and White et al. (1999).

Distribution. Monactis vestita , the only species in its genus, was originally described from specimens collected from the northeastern Atlantic Ocean at 2,286 to 5,005 m ( Gravier 1918). Animals of this species have been found off the coasts of Venezuela ( Riemann-Zürneck 1986) and Oregon ( White et al. 1999); we did not find additional specimens. The species is known in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans from 59 to 5,320 m ( Figure 27).

Material examined. See Appendix 11.