(Korsvika
- The Trondheim fjord / 24 meters / 2.16.2003)
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Anthozoa
Subclass: Hexacorallia
Order: Ceriantharia
Norwegian: sylindersjøroser
(Korsvika
- The Trondheim fjord / 24 meters / 2.16.2003)
The members of the Hexacorallia subclass may be solitary or colonial. The polyps are usually cylindrical with arms (septa) in multiples of six. Three well known orders of this subclass are stony corals, tube anemones and anemones.
Tube anemones are solitary corals with anemone-shaped, elongated bodies adapted for burrowing. The body is covered by a cylindrical holster and is usually hidden in muddy substrate. Usually, only the tentacles are visible above the ground. The mouth, placed on a central disk, is surrounded by short labial tentacles and longer marginal tentacles.Identification generally requires studies of microscopic details and is often not possible from pictures alone.