Meeting Abstract

64.1  Tuesday, Jan. 6 08:00  Implications for conservation of Condylactis gigantea, the giant Caribbean sea anemone, in Florida SHERIDAN, N.E.*; FAUTIN, D.G.; GARRETT, M.J.; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission; University of Kansas; Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Nancy.Sheridan@myfwc.com http://myfwc.com

The giant Caribbean sea anemone, Condylactis gigantea, is an ecologically important member of the benthic community. It provides habitat for numerous species and is recognized by many reef fishes as a cleaning station cue. Adverse environmental conditions, coupled with increasing harvest pressure, have resulted in declines of C. gigantea. Implementing efforts directed at population management and other protective measures for this anemone could conserve these valuable ecosystem services and ease pressure on the population. Previous research suggested that C. gigantea spawned in the late spring, which was questioned by the aquarium trade industry. We therefore examined specimens of C. gigantea collected monthly from October 2011 to September 2012 in the Florida Keys. We ascertained that the anemone is gonochoric and has a 1:1 sex ratio. Spermatogenesis was synchronous, whereas oocyte development was asynchronous. Low-level spawning occurred between October and April with a peak in May, in good agreement with earlier research.