Description:
This anemone has no acontia
but it does have a circle of whitish knobs (sometimes called "contact
tentacles")
around the margin of the oral disk (photo).
It has white tubercles all up and down its column wall (photo).
The overall color is white, yellow, or pink and there are narrow zigzag
lines, often red, across the tentacles. The tentacles are
long and
may droop down. Red lines radiate outward on the oral disk (photo).
Up to 20 cm tall.
How to Distinguish from Similar Species:Urticina crassicornis has similar colors but the stripes on the tentacles are broad and it does not have the "contact tentacles" (which are usually hard to find). Epiactis ritteri has radiating lines on the oral disk also but the lines are white and there are no tubercles on the column. Geographical Range: Aleutian Islands to Puget Sound Depth Range: Subtidal to at least 300 m. Habitat: Biology/Natural History:
This anemone
broods its young internally. A common symbiont is the
candy-striped
shrimp Lebbeus
grandimanus (photo).
Heptacarpus kincaidi is another common shrimp symbiont (photo).
The heart crab Phyllolithodes
papillosus often shelters under the anemone when
molting (photo).
We have also observed the scaled crab Placetron wosnessenskii
sheltering
under the anemones (photo).
References:Dichotomous Keys:Kozloff 1987, 1996 General References:
Scientific Articles:
Web sites: General Notes and Observations: Locations, abundances, unusual behaviors: This anemone is common on the deep slope on the outer side of Northwest Island.
Here is another Lebbeus grandimanus shrimp on another Cribrinopsis fernaldi. Photo by Kirt Onthank summer 2007
Placetron wosnessenskii crabs also seem to frequently shelter under the anemones. Photo by Kirt Onthank, summer 2007
Authors and Editors of Page: Dave Cowles (2007): Created original page CSS coding for page developed by Jonathan Cowles (2007) |