# Protanthea

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{{Short description|Genus of sea anemones}}
{{Speciesbox
| image = Sea Loch Anemone.jpg
| image_caption = Sea loch anemone
| parent_authority = Carlgren, 1891
| taxon = Protanthea simplex
| authority = Carlgren, 1891
| synonyms = (Genus)
* ''Prothantea''
(Species)
* ''Prothantea simplex'' <small>Zamponi, 1998</small>
}}

'''''Protanthea simplex''''' is a [species](/source/species) of [sea anemone](/source/sea_anemone) found in deep water off the coasts of north west Europe. It is the only species in the [monotypic](/source/monotypic) genus '''''Protanthea'''''.

==Description==
''P. simplex'' is a delicate sea anemone. The [tentacle](/source/tentacle)s are non-retractable and have a frosty appearance and are usually held outstretched. The column is salmon pink, flared below the tentacles and reaches lengths of up to two centimetres. It has a flattened, lightly adherent base bulging out below the pedal disc. There are up to 200 slender, translucent, white or pale pink tentacles up to one and a half centimetres long arranged in five rings. When the orangeish-pink gonads are ripe, they may be visible through the wall of the column.<ref name=MarLIN>{{cite web|url=http://www.marlin.ac.uk/specieshabitats.php?speciesID=4212|title=Marine Life Information Network}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=D11390|title=Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland}}</ref>

==Distribution==
This species is found in both shallow and deep water around the western coast of Scotland from the [Firth of Clyde](/source/Firth_of_Clyde) northward, particularly in sea lochs. It is also found round the coasts of the [Skagerrak](/source/Skagerrak) and northern [Kattegat](/source/Kattegat) and in one location in [Connemara](/source/Connemara), [Galway](/source/Galway), Ireland. It seems to prefer vertical rock faces in sheltered sites with little movement of water and has been found as deep as five hundred metres.<ref name=MarLIN/>

==Biology==
This species is a passive [suspension feeder](/source/suspension_feeder). It is often solitary but it has been recorded at densities of up to two thousand per square metre. It shows an unusual behaviour when occasionally it loses [muscle tone](/source/muscle_tone) and hangs limply from its pedal disc attachment.<ref name=MarLIN/> At other times it is very active, exhibiting a violent thrashing of the tentacles in response to external stimuli.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=anthozoa&id=97|title=Marine Species Identification Portal}}</ref>

Reproduction can be by sexual or asexual means. In sexual reproduction, eggs and sperm are ejected through the mouth and liberated into the sea. The fertilised egg develops into a [planula](/source/planula), which settles after fifteen to twenty days and grows into a new individual. In [asexual reproduction](/source/asexual_reproduction), fragments of the column are capable of regenerating into new individuals.<ref>Manuel, R.L., (1988). British Anthozoa. London: Academic Press. [Synopses of the British Fauna](/source/Synopses_of_the_British_Fauna), no. 18.</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{sealifephotos|100913}}

{{Taxonbar|from1=Q21446708|from2=Q3331020}}

Category:Gonactiniidae
Category:Hexacorallia genera
Category:Taxa described in 1891
Category:Monotypic Cnidaria genera

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Protanthea](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protanthea) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protanthea?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.