ZOANTHID

any member of the order Zoanthidea, a group of about 300 species of marine animals of the class Anthozoa (phylum Cnidaria) characterized by a polyp (i.e., a cylindrical stalklike structure with a mouth and tentacles at the upper end and attached to a surface at the lower end). The zoanthid closely resembles the sea anemone, differing from it chiefly in being generally smaller and in having a mucous coat to which sand and other materials adhere. The largest species, Isozoanthus giganteus, grows to about 19 cm (about 7.5 inches) in length and 2 cm in width. Many species live on or in close association with sponges or other animals. Epizoanthus americanus, occurring in Atlantic coastal temperate waters off North America, attaches to the seashell inhabited by a hermit crab, dissolves the shell, and eventually encloses the crab.