(invertebrate zoology)
An order of the Zoantharia distinguished by the elongate form of the anemone-like body.



an order of marine invertebrates of the class Anthozoa. The Ceriantharia are solitary polyps that burrow into silt, from which only the brightly colored upper end, with a mouth and numerous highly extensible tentacles, is visible. The body, which has no skeleton, is cylindrical and enclosed in a protective casing of solidified mucus. It ranges in length from 2 to 70 cm. The partitions of the gastral cavity develop in the only zone of growth near one of the narrow sides of the gullet, which is laterally flattened; they are arranged in pairs—a sign of bilateral structure.

The Ceriantharia feed on various small animals, which they capture with their tentacles. Approximately 50 species are known; they are found mainly in tropical seas.


Beklemishev, V. N. Osnovy sravnitel’noi anatomii bespozvonochnykh, 3rd ed., vol. 1. Moscow, 1964.
Zhizn’ zhivotnykh, vol. 1. Moscow, 1968.


References in periodicals archive ?
A study of the spirocytes from the Ceriantharia and Actiniaria (Cnidaria, Anthozoa).
Anthozoa: Actiniaria, Zoanthidea, Corallimorpharia and Ceriantharia.
Actiniaria, Zoantharia and Ceriantharia from shallow water in the North Western Gulf of Mexico.