The first sea anemone (Cnidaria : Anthozoa : Actiniaria) from a whale fall

Anthosactis pearseae n. sp. is the first species of sea anemone described from a deep-sea whale fall. It is a member of one of the most diverse genera of Actinostolidae, a family that dominates in the deep, and can be distinguished from its congeners based on the arrangement of tentacles, column musculature, cnidom, and aspects of its life history. To date, A. pearseae is known only from a single whale fall in the deep Pacific, being absent from several seep, vent, and deep-water hard substrates near this site.