First record of Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur, 1817) (Cnidaria, Actiniaria, Hormathiidae) in the Veracruz reef system, southwestern Gulf of Mexico

Abstract

The sea anemone Calliactis tricolor (Le Sueur, 1817) is an ecologically important member of the benthic community in coastal and coral reefs of the tropical Atlantic, particularly by their propensity to establish mutualistic symbiotic relationships with hermit crabs. This species is presumably distributed throughout the Gulf of Mexico; however, it had never been registered in the southwestern part of the Gulf. Here we document the first record of C. tricolor in two coral reef localities of the Veracruz Reef System, Mexico, and update the number of species of sea anemones known for the region.