Die Nesselkapseln der Anthozoen und ihre Bedeutung für die phylogenetische Systematik

Abstract

Nematocysts of 35 anthozoan species from Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea and Red Sea were studied employing phase contrast and electron microscopy. The nematocyst-types of Weill's (1934) system exhibit a great divergence between different anthozoan orders. Therefore, they are of little taxonomic and phylogenetical value. Atrichous haplonemes occur in the Ceriantharia and in the Actiniaria; all other Hexacorallia have holotrichous haplonemes with very different spines. Sometimes they are morphologically much more differentiated than the spines of the rhabdoid heteronemes, the only nematocyst-type present in the Octocorallia. If their distal ends form a T, the spines are considered plesiomorphous; they are present on the tube of some holotrichous haplonemes as well as on the thread of some rhabdoid heteronemes. Carlgren's (1940) subdivision of the rhabdoid heteronemes is quite useful because the b- and p-rhabdoid differ in all orders of Hexacorallia by having a different armature on the thread. Ceriantharia are considered to represent the most plesiomorphous group among the Hexacorallia. They have the simplest haplonemes (tube atrichous ore with spines forming a T) and rhabdoids heteronemes with the most differentiated shaft, but feature plesiomorphous T-forming spines on the thread of the b-rhabdoids. In certain Ceriantharia, p-rhabdoids occur with a short anoplotelic thread which is synapomorphous in the Ceriantharia as well as in the Actiniaria and Zoantharia. The rather differentiated shaft is a symplesiomorphous character of the Ceriantharia and the "early" Actiniaria, which exhibit other symplesiomorphous characters, ectodermal longitudinal muscles in the scapus and the same swimming behaviour (Robson 1966). The Zoantharia are derived from the "late" Actiniaria. Plesiomorphous Zoantharia, like Endomyaria of the Actiniaria, possess large b-rhabdoids in their mesenterial filaments. In addition, all Zoantharia have exactly the same p-rhabdoids, common in the Endomyaria; p-rhabdoids differ only in the Antipatharia in that they have a somewhat longer thread, which are armed with single spines. The Endomyaria, as well as the Zoantharia and Antipatharia, are also synapomorphous in the main distribution of their b-rhabdoids and in having a special form of sperm. In addition, Antipatharia have the same normal b-rhabdoids as the Zoantharia and the same chemical composition of the skeleton as the skeleton-forming Zoantharia Gerardia savaglia, which differs markedly from the chemical composition of the gorgonian skeleton (Roche &Tixier-Durivault 1951). © 1972 Biologischen Anstalt Helgoland.