elSSN : 2234-8190
elSSN : 2234-8190
elSSN : 2234-8190
A New Record of Sand Anemone, Paracondylactis sinensis (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Actiniaria: Actiniidae), from Korea
Sung-Jin Hwang1,2,*
1Department of Life Science, Woosuk University, Jincheon 27841, Korea
2Cnidaria Bioresources Bank of Korea, Jincheon 27841, Korea
Since 2020, specimens of the Paracondylactis species, which primarily inhabit soft sediments such as sandy mudflats, have been collected from the intertidal zones of Korea’s western coast (Boryeong and Byeonsan) by digging through the sand with a shovel. These specimens have smooth, very elongated, and cylindrical bodies. The juvenile sea anemones attached to floating bamboo sticks, Chinese-made snack bags, and water bottles were found in 2024 near the rocky shoreline of the western part of Jeju Island. It is thought that this species is native to Korea from China, which is its type locality. By comparing mitochondrial COX3 sequences with those of relative species and analyzing its external morphology and cnidae, this unrecorded species has been identified to be Paracondylactis sinensis. With 96 tentacles, P. sinensis differs morphologically from the recorded species, P. hertwigi, which has 48. It is also easily distinguishable from the latter by body color.
burrowing sea anemone, Paracondylactis sinensis, sandy mud flat, taxonomy, COX3