BIOTIC

BIOTIC Species Information for Urticina felina
All Taxonomy Biology Distribution Reproduction

Researched by	Angus Jackson & Dr Keith Hiscock	Data supplied by	MarLIN
Refereed by	Prof. Daphne Fautin
Taxonomy
Scientific name	Urticina felina	Common name	Dahlia anemone
MCS Code	D684	Recent Synonyms	Tealia felina,

Phylum	Cnidaria	Subphylum
Superclass	Anthozoa	Class	Hexacorallia
Subclass		Order	Actiniaria
Suborder	Nynantheae	Family	Actiniidae
Genus	Urticina	Species	felina
Subspecies

Additional Information	The taxonomy and relationships of this sea anemone are in some confusion with anemones of very similar appearance and apparently reproductive biology to Urticina felina occurring on the north-west (Pacific) coast of north America. An attempt is made below to establish relationships important for using literature to support sensitivity and recoverability assessments elsewhere in this review. Stephenson (1935) identifies "Tealia (=Urticina) crassicornis" of Müller as a variety (crassicornis) of Tealia (=Urticina) felina (L.) but not the variety coriacea which is the "Tealia crassicornis" of Gosse (1860). However, Stephenson notes that, in his "var. crassicornis", the embryos develop up to a late stage in the coelenteron of the parent and later describes it as "viviparity". Since Appelöff (1900) cited in Chia & Spaulding (1972) reported that, in Europe, Tealia (=Urticina) crassicornis releases it's gametes freely into the sea (i.e. is not viviparous) and that the species they studied in the northwest USA similarly produced ova and sperm, it seems likely that their "Tealia crassicornis" has closer affinities to the British "Urticina felina" than to the species that occurs further north of the British Isles and is called "Tealia crassicornis (Müller)".
Taxonomy References	Hayward et al., 1996, Solé-Cava et al., 1985, Manuel, 1988, Picton & Costello, 1998, Gosse, 1860, Chia & Spaulding, 1972., Stephenson, 1935, Howson & Picton, 1997,