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| sea anemones text index | photo index |
| Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Actiniaria |
| Leathery
anemone Heteractis crispa Family Stichodactylidae updated Jul 11 Where seen? This large sea anemone is sometimes, among living reefs. According to Dr Fautin, it is sometimes seen living on branching corals. Features: Diameter expanded 20-30cm, up to 50cm when fully expanded. Many long tentacles (about 10cm) that are snake-like, evenly tapered to a point often with coloured tips: mauve, blue, sometimes yellow or green. The tentacles may shrivel if the animal is disturbed. Body column with large, prominent, adhesive bumpy verrucae. The body column texture is leathery and it is uniformly coloured, usually grey. The oral disk is usually brownish violet or grey, rarely bright green, sometimes with white stripes. Sometimes confused with other large sea anemones and similar large cnidarians. Here's more on how to tell apart large sea anemones with long tentacles and large 'hairy' cnidarians. Leathery friends: The Leathery anemone harbours symbiotic algae (called zooxanthellae) that photosynthesize. The algae share the food produced with the anemone, which in turn provides the algae with shelter and minerals. Several kinds of animals may live happily among and unharmed by the tentacles of the anemone. These include the Five-spot anemone shrimp (Periclimenes brevicarpalis) and fishes such as Dascyllus trimaculatus and many species of anemonefishes. |
 Beting Bemban Besar, Apr 10  Tentacles may have coloured tips. |
 An anemone shrimp was seen in this one. |
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 Typical bumpy prominent verrucae on the body column. |
Leathery anemones on Singapore shores
 Kusu Island, Jul 11 |
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 Terumbu Bemban, Jul 11 |
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 Pulau Semakau, Jan 09 Photo shared by Marcus Ng. |
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