Starburst Anemone

This species looks very similar to Anthopleura elegantissima, and formerly was simply identified as a solitary form of A. elegantissima. Pearse and Francis identified it as a separate species by molecular techniques in 2000. This species grows larger than A. elegantissima usually does (up to 25 cm wide), and is not normally found in contact with or even very near A. elegantissima. Cylindrical. The column is pale gray-green to white and twice as long as wide when completely extended; pale, variously colored tentacles with pink, lavender, or blue tips, in 5 rings around oral disk and are numerous, thick, and pointed. The anemone has a ring of knobs (acrorhagia) with stinging cells just under and outside the ring of tentacles (photo). When the anemones are not fighting the acrorhagia are usually retracted and hard to see. The column is covered with vertical rows of adhesive tubercles or verrucae (picture). One can distinguish the species from A. xanthogrammica by their branched verrucae, coloration (especially colored tips of the tentacles and clearly marked stripes on the oral disk), and the fact that their adhesive tubercles are arranged in vertical rows while those of A. xanthogrammica are not. Most individuals are at least 3 cm in diameter, and average 12 cm.