actinia

[Gr. ἀκτίς ( aktis ), gen it. ἀκτῖνος ( aktinos ) a ray of light.] Zool. A genus of polypes, with many arms radiating from around their mouth, in a manner somewhat resembling the rays of the sun surrounding his dise, or a double flower. From this arrangement of the tentacles, coupled with the bright colours of these animals, they are called also Animal-flowers (q.v.). Though simple and not aggregated, they still have a somewhat close affinity to the coral-building polypes. They are the type of the cla Actinozoa (q.v.). Cuvier placed them with his Polypi Carnosi . They feed on crustacea, mollusca, small fishes, . In 1847 Dr. Johnston enumerated twenty species as British.