Renilla+reniformis


 * __Sea Pansy: Renilla reniformis__**
 * **Class**: Anthozoa
 * **Size**: very small, lily pad like
 * **Location**: warmer regions of Atlantic and Pacific coasts
 * **Habitat**: anchor to seafloor, often in sand flats and completely buried under sand
 * **Living Requirements**: feeding polyps extend with sticky mucus to snare zooplankton and other organic matter
 * **Life Cycle**: planktonic larvae all hatches from same egg, as it matures entire colony moves to shallower sand flats
 * **Male and Female**: no differences, asexual reproduction, sexually by releasing sperm and eggs that form planula which attaches to substrate to grow
 * **Interesting Facts**: made up of various types of smaller, secondary polyps, actually a colony, type of soft coral
 * **Human Impact**: green fluorescent protein in sea pansies used as a reporter of expression in science

http://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/sertc/staff.htm http://www.whitney.ufl.edu/species/seapansy.htm http://dewdana.blogspot.com/2009/03/true-colors-thursday-violet.html http://www.rci.rutgers.edu/~crebb/CREBB%20Pictures/CREBB%20Web%20Photo%20Album/pages/SeaPansy3_jpg.htm http://www.wisegeek.com/what-are-sea-pansies.htm
 * Zookeeper: Tori Lopez**
 * References**: