Cavernularia obesa

Cavernularia obesa
Cavernularia obesa
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Octocorallia
Order: Scleralcyonacea
Family: Veretillidae
Genus: Cavernularia
Species:
C. obesa
Binomial name
Cavernularia obesa

Taxonomy

Cavernularia obesa, also known as the sea cactus, are colonial marine cnidarians in the class Octocorallia which includes all soft-bodied corals like gorgonians and sea whips.[1][2] C. obesa belongs in the order Pennatulacea which are also known as sea pens.[1]

Pennatuloids can be distinguished from other octocorals by a basal peduncle anchoring colonies into the substrate.[1] Their colonies are also made up of different types of polyps, including autozooids, siphonozooids, and acrozooids.[3]

Cavernularia obesa is different from other Pennatuloids because of several unique characteristics. They exhibit an elongated ellipsoidal body shape as well as eightfold radial symmetry and eight tentacles.[1][4]

Habitat and geographic distribution

Cavernularia obesa is widely distributed and found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean as well as on the coast of southern Japan.[5][6] They inhabit sandy shores, mudflats, silty bottoms, and rocky outcrops.[3] They also help structure benthic communities providing a habitat for other invertebrates and fish from shallow intertidal regions to depths of 6,100 meters.[1][2]

Circadian rhythm

The species adjusts its behavior based on a light-dark cycle as well as a temperature cycle.[7] During the day, they contract and bury themselves into the sediment while at night, they expand and rise above the surface becoming more active when the temperature is around 25°C.[8][9]

Reproduction and life cycle

In C. obesa, both males and females release sperm and eggs into the water which is controlled by light and not each other.[10] Even if males and females were to be separated, they would still follow the same timing meaning their external fertilization is driven by the environment and not by their communication.[10]

Sea pens have a two-phase life cycle of planktonic larvae and sessile adult forms.[6] Mature adults are half-buried in the sediments relying on planktonic larvae for the spreading and distribution of their species.[6]

Diet

C. obesa mainly feed on small plankton though studies have shown that their diet does not directly influence its patterns of activity.[5] While their diet is crucial for growth and survival, environmental factors such as light and temperature play a much more important role in controlling their behavior.[5]

Bioluminescence

C. obesa emits green and blue light which was determined to be 2-(p-hydroxyphenylacetamido)- 3-benzyl-5-(p-hydroxyphenyl)pyrazine.[11][12] Bioluminescence in sea pens is most likely used for defense and to startle or ward off potential predators.[2] Anthozoans contain luciferase and photoprotein which both help to produce the light in the sea cactus unlike hydrozoans who do not use a luciferase-based system.[2] C. obesa has an unexpectedly weak activity of luciferase which suggests they need a special type of environmental condition or function in order to glow brightly.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Eom, Hye-Jin; Rhee, Jae-Sung (2023-01-02). "Complete mitochondrial genome of the sea-pen, Cavernularia obesa (Valenciennes, 1850) (Octocorallia: Veretillidae)". Mitochondrial DNA Part B. 8 (1): 113–115. doi:10.1080/23802359.2022.2163596. ISSN 2380-2359.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Veena, S.; Kaladharan, P. (January 2013). "Cavernularia obesa from the bay coast of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India". Marine Biodiversity Records. 6. doi:10.1017/s1755267213000250. ISSN 1755-2672.
  3. 1 2 Heung, Bonnie Yuen Wai; Li, Yi‐Xuan; Loke, Hai Xin; Kei, Keith; Lai, Vincent C. S.; Chan, Leo Lai; Qiu, Jian‐Wen (March 2026). "Expanding Knowledge of Sea Pen (Octocorallia: Pennatuloidea) Diversity and Distribution Through Integrative Taxonomy: Insights From Hong Kong's Coastal Waters". Ecology and Evolution. 16 (3). doi:10.1002/ece3.73217. hdl:2031/83cb4eae-73e7-42d2-bf91-7991c4aa9320. ISSN 2045-7758.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unflagged free DOI (link)
  4. ↑ Liu, Hualiang; Xiao, Hong; Wang, Chunlong; Zhao, Runchao; Yang, Guang; Guo, Hongwei; Liu, Rongqiang; Deng, Zongquan (May 2026). "Bio-inspired design and analysis of multidimensional morphing linkage for aircraft forebody". Aerospace Science and Technology. 172 111622. doi:10.1016/j.ast.2026.111622. ISSN 1270-9638.
  5. 1 2 3 Mori, S. (1960-01-01). "Influence of Environmental and Physiological Factors on the Daily Rhythmic Activity of a Sea-pen". Cold Spring Harbor Symposia on Quantitative Biology. 25 (0): 333–344. doi:10.1101/sqb.1960.025.01.034. ISSN 0091-7451.
  6. 1 2 3 Yanbin, Tang; Yibo, Liao; Qinghe, Liu; Rongliang, Zhang; Lu, Shou; Chenghua, Li; Jiangning, Zeng (2024-01-30). "Phylogeography of sea pen Cavernularia obesa in the East China Sea: Historical expansion and Changjiang outflow barrier". doi.org. Retrieved 2026-04-24.
  7. ↑ Imafuku, Michio (July 1976). "On the Mechanism of the Activity Rhythm of the Sea-Pen, Cavernularia obesa Valenciennes". Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 23 (1–2): 1–17. doi:10.5134/175927. hdl:2433/175927. ISSN 0037-2870.
  8. ↑ Imafuku, Michio (December 1973). "On Some Physiological Aspects in the Daily Rhythmic Activity of the Sea-Pen, Cavernularia obesa Valenciennes". Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 20: 431–454. doi:10.5134/175766. hdl:2433/175766. ISSN 0037-2870.
  9. ↑ Imafuku, Michio (February 1980). "Activity of the Sea-Pen, Cavernularia obesa Valenciennes, Under Temperature and Light Cycles". Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 25 (1–4): 119–130. doi:10.5134/175989. hdl:2433/175989. ISSN 0037-2870.
  10. 1 2 Mori, Syuiti; Tanase, Hidetomo (December 1973). "Studies on the Daily Rhythmic Activity of the Sea-PenCavernularia obesa Valenciennes . -XVIII. Ontogenic Development of the Daily Rhytmic Activity-". Publications of the Seto Marine Biological Laboratory. 20: 455–467. doi:10.5134/175765. hdl:2433/175765. ISSN 0037-2870.
  11. ↑ Shimomura, Osamu; Inoue, Shoji; Goto, Toshio (March 1975). "The Light-Emitter in Bioluminescence of the Seas Cactus Cavernularia obesa". Chemistry Letters. 4 (3): 247–248. doi:10.1246/cl.1975.247. ISSN 0366-7022.
  12. ↑ Ogoh, Katsunori; Kinebuchi, Takashi; Murai, Mariko; Takahashi, Takeo; Ohmiya, Yoshihiro; Suzuki, Hirobumi (2013-03-06). "Dual‐color‐emitting green fluorescent protein from the sea cactus Cavernularia obesa and its use as a pH indicator for fluorescence microscopy". Luminescence. 28 (4): 582–591. doi:10.1002/bio.2497. ISSN 1522-7235. PMC 3884763.
  13. ↑ Shimomura, Osamu; Johnson, Frank H (January 1979). "Comparison of the amounts of key components in the bioluminescence systems of various coelenterates". Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part B: Comparative Biochemistry. 64 (1): 105–107. doi:10.1016/0305-0491(79)90191-3. ISSN 0305-0491.
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