Summary
Physical Description
Ecology
Habitat
Symbioses
Life History and Behaviour
Reproduction
Development
Feeding
Mobility
Anatomy & Physiology
Internal Morphology
Respiration
Toxins
Biolfluorescence
Evolution & Systematics
Biogeographic Distribution
Conservation & Threats
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Summary
The bubble-tipped anemone, Entacmaea quadricolor, is a colourful representative of the Actiniaria family. It is widely distributed around the globe and is named for the diagnostic shape of it's tentacles which form bulbs either at the extreme distal end of the tentacle or just back from tip. The physical appearance is highly variable with many colour variations and two different morphologies. One morph is colonial with small polyps and lives predominantly in the shallow waters of the reef crest. The second morph is larger and lives as a solitary polyp in deeper waters of the reef slope.
This species is known for it's symbiotic relationship with a large number of different anemone fish species. A less popularized symbiosis also exists between E. quadricolor and obligate photosynthetic zooxanthellae, brown algae, which live inside the anemones and acting as a carbon and nitrogen source.
Like many Cnidaria E. quadricolor contains proteins which fluoresce under different wave lengths. This species is known, within biomedical fields, as the source of a unique far red shifted Red Florescent Protein (RFP), eqFP611, which has important applications in multicolor and full body tissue imaging.
The conservation status of this species is currently unknown, however commercial harvest and oceanic warming may both pose threats which may need to be managed in the future.
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