GENETICS: CNIDARIANS

Abstract
Cnidarian researchers currently lack an established protocol for obtaining DNA samples from animals without requiring wild capture or the disruption of normal behaviour and physiology. Herein we describe a method of obtaining DNA samples from sea anemones via non-disruptive mucus swabbing and demonstrate its use by sequencing three mitochondrial marker genes (12S, 16S, COX3) in the sea anemones Actinia tenebrosa (Farquhar 1898) and Aulactinia veratra (Drayton in Dana 1846). Our results indicate that this method is suitable for obtaining high quality DNA which can be successfully sequenced, and we expect that this method should be applicable to most cnidarians.