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Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Ceriantharia
Elegant cerianthid
awaiting identification*
updated Nov 2019
Where seen? This elegant and often dark coloured cerianthid is sometimes seen on our Northern shores. In soft silty areas and among seagrasses. It is found in similar habitats as the Common cerianthid, but the dusky is much smaller and has more elegantly tapering tentacles.

Features: 8-10cm in diameter. The outer tentacles are elegantly slim and tapering and some have a thin white line along the length of the long outer tentacles. It seems to have a row of thinner shorter tentacles under the long tentacles. In some, the long tentacles are paler where they attach to the oral disk. Some are dark, almost black, with the inner tentacles the same colour as the outer tentacles. Others are paler with white long tentacles and pink short tentacles. Body column pale often darker at the top edge near the base of the tentacles.

The elegant cerianthid (lower left)
compared to a common peacock
anemone (upper right)
Changi, Jul 07

Changi, Jul 07

Changi, Aug 08

*Species are difficult to positively identify without close examination.
On this website, the animals are grouped by external features for convenience of display.

Elegant cerianthids on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Beting Bronok, Jun 10

Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his flickr.


Chek Jawa, Jul 16
Photo shared by Marcus Ng on flickr.

Tuas, Dec 14
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on his blog.
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