A new species of sea anemone (Anthozoa: Actiniaria) from the Sea of Japan: Cribrinopsis japonica sp. nov.

Abstract

A new species of sea anemone from the Sea of Japan is described as Cribrinopsis japonica sp. nov. In Toyama Bay, pinkish-colored anemones have been frequently caught by the local fishermen but never identified. In this study, specimens were collected from the Sea of Japan (36°58'5N, 137°22'7E) between 2010 and 2012. These anemones are identified as a new species of Cribrinopsis differing from known species in the verrucae, cnidae, and the arrangements of tentacles and mesenteries. The species may be confused with C. fernaldi Siebert and Spaulding, 1976, which is reportedly present in the Sea of Japan, but decamerous C. japonica sp. nov. is distinctly different from the hexamerous C. fernaldi.