Toxicity of Dialyzed Extracts of Some California 
Anemones (Coelenterata ) 1 
Edgar J. Martin 2 
ABSTRACT: Anemones of the California coast, collected from November I960 
to March 1961, were compared with respect to their toxicity. Aqueous extracts 
of the anemones were dialyzed and assayed by intraperitoneal injection to mice, 
and the survival times of the injected mice were compared. 
The extracts of Anthopleura elegantissima and A. xantho gram-mica were by far 
more toxic than those of Metridium senile, Corynactis calif ornica, Tealia crassicornis, 
T. lofoiensis, and T. coriacea. 
The differences in potencies of the extracts may indicate species variations in 
( 1 ) toxicity, (2) efficiency of the extraction method, or ( 3 ) both. 
The AQUEOUS extracts of many coelenterates 
are poisonous (Dodge, 1957). The poisons are 
mixtures of biologically active compounds ( Cre- 
scitelli and Geissman, 1962), some of them 
amines (Welsh and Prock, 1958), others heat- 
labile colloids (Martin, I960; Mathias et al., 
I960). The poison occurs in both the nema- 
tocysts and the nematocyst-free structures of 
the anemones (Lane, I960; Martin, to be pub- 
lished ) . Both the chemical composition and the 
biologically active substances of extracts vary 
from one species of anemone to another (Ma- 
thias et al., I960; Bergmann et al., 1956). The 
present study was designed to compare the 
lethality in mice of dialyzed extracts of some 
anemones of the California coast. 
MATERIAL AND METHODS 
SPECIES AND SITES OF COLLECTION: Ane- 
mones were collected at various sites on the 
California coast from November I960 to March 
1961: Anthopleura elegantissima from Bodega 
Bay, Tomales Bay, Monterey, and Corona del 
Mar; A. xanthogrammica from Tomales Bay and 
1 Supported in part by National Institutes of Health 
Grant RG 7626. Manuscript received February 19, 
1962. 
2 Laboratory of Comparative Biology, Kaiser Foun- 
dation Research Institute, Richmond, California; and 
Pacific Marine Station, University of the Pacific, Dil- 
lon Beach, California. 
Monterey; Metridium senile from Monterey; 
Corynactis calif ornica, Tealia lofotensis and T. 
crassicornis from Bodega Bay, all intertidal; and 
T. coriacea off Marineland from a 30-ft depth. 
In addition, the intertidal Nudibranch Diaulula 
sandiegensis and the Mollusca Crassostrea gigas 
and Mytilus calif ornianus were collected at To- 
males Bay. Anthopleura elegantissima is com- 
mon all along the California coast. Its extracts 
were used as the base of comparison with those 
of the other species available. 
The anemones were placed in the laboratory 
in aerated aquaria, with sea water which was re- 
newed twice a week. Water temperature varied 
between 13 and 20 C. The anemones were ex- 
posed to the light of the laboratory. They re- 
ceived no food supplement. Specimens which 
did not show normal vitality in the aquaria were 
discarded. After 2-4 weeks the anemones were 
removed from the aquaria and cleaned from ad- 
herent objects. During this manipulation they 
contracted firmly. Their body wall was then 
punctured to empty pockets of trapped water. 
Then the anemones were rinsed with distilled 
water for 10-15 sec, blotted with mild pres- 
sure, weighed in air, and their volume deter- 
mined. The specimens weighed from 0.3 to 
34.2 g. 
EXTRACTION: The anemones were homoge- 
nized with three times their volume of distilled 
water at high speed in a Waring blender for 
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