Magnifica or Ritteri?

[davocean]

I see the two names labeling this anemone so much lately, and I think it adds confusion, so I'm just putting it out there for anyone else that cares or wishes to know what the most correct ID is for this anemone.

This is a quote from another long term anemone keeper that explains best IMO(Roewer)

Radianthus ritteri was the "old" incorrect scientific name it was (and still is) traded under.

The "ritteri" species name goes back to a description by Kwietniewski in 1897 as Antheopsis ritteri.

The name it was first described under was: Actinia magnifica by Quoy & Gaimard in 1833. Since this predates all other descriptions the valid species name is and always will be "magnifica"

Fautin then placed it into the genus Heteractis.
So the currently correct scientific name is: Heteractis magnifica (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833).

While the genus may at some point change again, the correct species will always be "magnifica".

So calling it magnifica is correct while ritteri is an incorrect synonym.

 

[NY_Caveman]

In the 90s when I owned one it was often labeled Radianthus as well. Whatever its name was I loved that anemone.

 

[davocean]

And of course every good post should come w/ good pics, feel free to post your own, here's a couple of mine, first one w/ good telltale sign of a mag, the purple foot, and that foot exposed, not hidden/buried into a crevice, and pretty much always perched on rock high up in water column, often the highest perch for max light.

 

[davocean]

In the 90s when I owned one it was often labeled Radianthus as well. Whatever its name was I loved that anemone.

If you had one in the 90's, you were ahead of most of us in the game in keeping one successfully!
It's been fairly recent that the cipro treatment has come into play giving a great deal more success in keeping what was once considered nearly impossible to keep, and in doing so has made us realize what happens when we give our clowns a natural host match, as both percs and occs tend to dive straight into a mag, while many have no clue what to do w/ BTA

 

[NY_Caveman]

If you had one in the 90's, you were ahead of most of us in the game in keeping one successfully!
It's been fairly recent that the cipro treatment has come into play giving a great deal more success in keeping what was once considered nearly impossible to keep, and in doing so has made us realize what happens when we give our clowns a natural host match, as both percs and occs tend to dive straight into a mag, while many have no clue what to do w/ BTA

Thanks. I had it for six years before giving it away and moving to the West coast for a few years. It hosted two Clarkiis.

 

[ca1ore]

Joe Y. of the NY Aquarium (now LI) was, if memory serves, treating mags with antibiotic long before the approach was popularized by Orionn's seminal thread over on RC.

 

[OrionN]

Joe Y. of the NY Aquarium (now LI) was, if memory serves, treating mags with antibiotic long before the approach was popularized by Orionn's seminal thread over on RC.

I also keep Magnifica in the late 1990's also.
That is true for sure. I was desperate to keep a Gigantea alive. I did all the research and reading I can. Multiple reefers reported that they treated anemones with antibiotic, the most I can get is the name of the antibiotic but never the dose, or how. Some antibiotic used by Sprung was impossible to get and was a very toxic antibiotic (for human). I just did careful documentation of result, and wrote on how I treat, what I use and at what dose.

 

[ca1ore]

Minh, your anemone treatment thread is one of two (the other being TKRacer's masterflex thread) that have been more helpful to me than any other. Always have appreciated your insights on this topic.

 

[davocean]

I certainly have a huge amount of appreciation for those that have contributed in our methods and understanding of these creatures, and I do like to give credit where and when I can, whether to a single individual or collected effort.
I am curious to who may have been first to discover the bacterial infection issue, but I agree it was Minh's/Orions I first saw on this, and it's really been a big game changer on several levels, not only in being able to keep some of the harder to keep species, but a better understanding overall on the symbiotic relationship and natural host selection.