Species Heteractis aurora (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Actinia aurora Quoy, J.R. & Gaimard, J.P. 1833. Zoophytes. In: Voyage de Découvertes de l'Astrolabe Exécuté par Ordre du Roi, Pendant les Années 1826-1827-1828-1829, Sous le Commandement de M. J. Dumont D'Urville. Paris : J.Tastu Vol. 4 390 pp. [141-142; Plate 12 figures 1-4].

  Type data:

   Neotype BMNH 1987.6.11.1, Papua New Guinea, Laing Island [4°12'S, 144°54'E].
  Syntype(s) Papua New Guinea, New Ireland [Neu-Hannover], Carteret Harbor, 0-3 m [4°40'S, 152°43'E]; New Guinea, Manokwari [Port Dorey], 0-3 m [0°52'S, 134°05'E].

  Subsequent designation references:

  England, K.W. 1988. Redefinitions and systematics of Heteractis aurora, the genera Heteractis and Radianthus, and the family Heteractidae (Cnidaria: Actiniaria). Indo-Malayan Zoology 5: 45-55.

  Secondary source:

   Fautin, D.G. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/index.cfm.
• Bunodes koseirensis Klunzinger, C.B. 1877. Die Korallthiere des rothen Meeres Erster Theil: Die Alcyonarien und Malacodermen. Berlin : Verlag der Gutmann'schen Buchhandlung 98 pp. [77-78].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) MNUB 1871, Egypt, Red Sea, Koseir [26°07'N, 34°17'E]; 7830, Egypt, Red Sea, Koseir [26°07'N, 34°17'E].

  Secondary source:

   Fautin, D.G. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/index.cfm.
• Phymanthus simplex Haddon, A.C. & Shackleton, A.M. 1893. Description of some new species of Actiniaria from Torres Straits. Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society 8(1): 116–131 [117, 121-122].

  Type data:

   
  Syntype(s) UMZC, QLD, Torres Strait, Murray Islands, Mer [Maer] Island, 0 m [9°55'S, 144°04'E]; ZMLU, QLD, Torres Strait, Murray Islands, Mer [Maer] Island, 0 m [9°55'S, 144°04'E].

  Secondary source:

   Fautin, D.G. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/index.cfm.

 

Generic Combinations

• Heteractis aurora (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833). —
  Milne Edwards, H. & Haime, J. 1851. Monographie des polypiers fossiles des terrains palaeozoïques, précédée d'un tableau général de la classification des polypes. Archives du Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris 5: 1-504, pls. I-XX [10] (Fautin, D. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/index.cfm)

 

Distribution

States

Northern Territory, Queensland, Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

Indo-Pacific from Red Sea to Line Islands.

IBRA and IMCRA regions

IMCRA

Northern Shelf Province (25), Central Western Shelf Transition (28), Northeast Shelf Transition (41)

Ecological Descriptors

Marine.

 

Diagnosis

Oral disc flat, up to 150 mm. Column length about equal to pedal disc, upper region of column flared. Adhesive verrucae on upper column, up to 10 in row. Tentacles up to 40 mm, inner longer than outer, tapering to point. Brownish-violet ground colour, some frosted white flecks. Along length of tentacles may be bulges, appears as string of beads.

 

General References

Dunn, D.F. 1981. The clownfish sea anemones: Stichodactylidae (Coelenterata: Actiniaria) and other sea anemones symbiotic with Pomacentrid fishes. Transactions of the American Philosophical Society 71: 1-115

Fautin, D.G. 2011. Hexacorallians of the World. http://geoportal.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/index.cfm

 

History of changes

Published	As part of group	Action Date	Action Type	Compiler(s)
05-Aug-2022	NYNANTHEAE Carlgren, 1899	13-Aug-2013	MOVED	Dr Bronwen Scott
05-Aug-2022		28-Feb-2011	MODIFIED
05-Aug-2022		09-Nov-2010	MOVED
05-Aug-2022		09-Nov-2010	MOVED
05-Aug-2022		28-Jul-2010	MODIFIED
		13-Jul-2010	MODIFIED