Green Sea Mat

Facts

IUCN NOT EVALUATED (NE)

Facts about this animal

Sea mats are colonial anemones, which use rocks as substrate, which they will encrust as they propagate.

Some sea mats are brightly coloured with green seemsing to be the most common colour. They have oral disks that are less than 2 centimeters in diameter. This flat disk is surrounded by two rows of short tentacles. The polyps are distinguished from other Zoanthids by their divided sphincter muscles. The polyps grow out of a thick mat made of gelatinous material.

Sea mats live in symbiosis with microscopic, single-celled marine algae or dinoflagellates called zooxanthellae, and derive much of their energy from the products these zooxanthellae generate by photosynthesis. Sea mats are not known to actively "feed" on anything, but rather passively absorb dissolved organics from the water column directly through their "skin."

Sea mats contain a potent neurotoxin called Palytoxin.

Did you know?
that Zoanthids mainly reproduce asexually, although there is a limited amount of sexual reproduction? Asexual reproduction is by budding, which is the creation of a new polyp from an old polyp, and fission, where the stolons disintegrate and a new fragment is formed. A colony is generally genetically the same, as there is little fusion of colonies or recruitment to a old colony. Even when a colony is sexually reproductive, a large proportion of polyps remain infertile, which demonstrates the greater importance of asexual reproduction and growth.

Factsheet
Class	ANTHOZOA
Order	ZOANTHIDEA
Family	ZOANTHIDAE
Name (Scientific)	Zoanthus sp.
Name (English)	Green Sea Mat
Name (French)	Anémone encroutante
Name (German)	Krustenanemone
Name (Spanish)	Zoanthus
CITES Status	Not listed
CMS Status	Not listed

Photo Copyright by
Vishal Bhave

Distribution

Distribution
Range	Zoanthus alderi Zoanthus kealakekuaensis: Central Pacific Zoanthus pacificus: Central Indo-Pacific Zoanthus pulchellus: Indo-Pacific Zoanthus sociatus: Caribbean
Habitat	Tropical and subtropical seas, on rocks, coral reefs.
Wild population	No data
Zoo population	27 zoos or aquariums reported Zoanthus, including unspecified, pulchellus and sociatus to ISIS (2008)

In the Zoo

How this animal should be transported

For air transport Container Note 56 of the IATA Live Animals Regulations should be followed. There is no Container Requirement for pupae.

Find this animal on ZooLex

Photo Copyright by
Vishal Bhave

Why do zoos keep this animal

Zoos and aquariums keep the flower-like sea mats for educational reasons as part of their efforts to familiarise visitors with invertebrate biodiversity.

How this animal should be kept

Sea mats are easy to propagate in an aquarium. These hardy, polyps are fascinating for taxonomists and aquarists alike.

Intense lighting is neded to keep the sea mats healthy. If not provided proper lighting, the colours of Zoanthus may fade, but worse they may not receive enough energy and perish. Metal Halide lighting or a large bank of high output fluorescent or compact fluorescent bulbs may be used. Moderate water movement is recommended.

Sea mats shpould always be handled with care wearing gloves and googgles, especially if cutting the coral or handling it in a stressed state. There have been recorded cases of Palytoxin poisonings of aquarists.