The golden orb reaches about 30 centimeters in diameter and occurs at depths of 1,600 to 4,000 meters. Its biology has been difficult to classify because it does not fit typical rules separating anemones and corals, and its evolutionary origin has remained uncertain. Initial examination identified spirocytes, ultra-specialized cells found only in cnidarians, ruling out interpretations as an egg or a biofilm. DNA sequencing of the material produced mitochondrial genomes with a 99.9% match to Relicanthus daphneae. No known structures matched the remains, so researchers reexamined an older specimen and found multi-laminated golden cuticle fragments produced around the anemone’s base. Live observations showed the anemone leaves this cuticle on rocks as it moves, where it persists until it disintegrates or is buried.
"The report details that an initial examination found spirocytes-ultra-specialized cells that only cnidarians (the group of animals made up of anemones, corals, and jellyfish) have. This finding ruled out the possibility that it was an egg or a biofilm, as initially thought."
"The team then sequenced the DNA of the material to search for matches in databases. The complete mitochondrial genomes showed a 99.9 percent match to Relicanthus daphneae. The evidence pointed to the orb being part of a rare and poorly documented anemone."
"However, the remains did not match any known structures of this species or other anemones. To solve the riddle, the researchers revisited a specimen collected years earlier and studied it again. They found fragments of a multi-laminated, golden cuticle the anemone had produced around its base."
"They then looked at live specimens and discovered that, as it moves along the bottom, R. daphneae leaves behind this cuticle, which remains on the rocks until it disintegrates or is buried."
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