Zoanthus

Zoanthus
Dragon Eye zoanthids
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Hexacorallia
Order:	Zoantharia
Family:	Zoanthidae
Genus:	Zoanthus Lamarck, 1801

Zoanthus is a genus of anthozoans in the family Zoanthidae. It is the type genus for its family and order.

Species

The following species are recognized in the genus Zoanthus:

• Zoanthus coppingeri Haddon & Shackleton, 1891
• Zoanthus durbanensis Carlgren, 1938
• Zoanthus gigantus Reimer & Tsukahara in Reimer, Ono, Iwama, Takishita, Tsukahara & Maruyama, 2006
• Zoanthus kealakekuaensis Walsh & Bowers, 1971
• Zoanthus kuroshio Reimer & Ono in Reimer, Ono, Iwama, Takishita, Tsukahara & Maruyama, 2006
• Zoanthus mantoni (may be synonymous with Zoanthus coppingeri)
• Zoanthus natalensis Carlgren, 1938
• Zoanthus praelongus Carlgren, 1954
• Zoanthus pulchellus (Duchassaing & Michelotti, 1860)
• Zoanthus robustus Carlgren, 1950
• Zoanthus sansibaricus Carlgren, 1900
• Zoanthus sociatus (Ellis, 1768)
• Zoanthus solanderi Le Sueur, 1818
• Zoanthus vietnamensis Pax & Müller, 1957

Aquaria

Zoanthids are prized in the fishkeeping hobby, being relatively easy to raise and very colorful. Known as "button polyps" or "zoas" they can spread to completely cover a rock with brightly colored circular patterns. It also exhibits proteins similar to green fluorescent protein.

See also

• Norzoanthamine