Anemone ID help please

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 7:52 am

I ran into this little beauty at Sund Rock on Friday. It doesn't seem to easily fit into one of the categories. My guesses are:
It could be a color variation of a Fish Eating Anemone, Urticina piscivora, though it doesn't have the markings on the face and tentacles that I usually see with those.
It could also be a Crimson Anemone, Cribrinopsis fernaldi, but it's orangish and doesn't seem quite right.
It's pretty "orange" so I thought Swiming Anemone, but it has no markings on the tentacles at all and the column doesn't seem right.

So, I'm stuck! Any ideas?

<a href="" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1357/554 ... 4190d9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="CIMG1769"></a>

<a href="" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1398/554 ... 7f6e91.jpg" width="500" height="403" alt="CIMG1768"></a>

Huskychemist · Post by **Huskychemist** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:10 am

I think it's a swimming anemone. The tentacles have a little bit of the banding of the swimming...and I've seen white color variants of that anemone before.

Zen Diver · Post by **Zen Diver** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 8:40 am

Swimmer was my first inclination as well.

-Valerie

jackieg · Post by **jackieg** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:26 am

Let's just make it three for three.....swimmer is my thought also.

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Sat Jun 16, 2007 9:34 am

Thanks for the help!

In it's color, this definitely looks like a Swimming Anemone. But... It seems to me much more "solid" in it's coloring, deeper orange than the ones I've seen, with no or little markings on the base or tentacles. As I look closer I do see the faint banding that you mentioned Lowell. Perhaps it was more mature? This was one of the larger ones I've ever seen.

Whelks to Whales and Andy Lamb mentions two species, which I hadn't noticed before, a Swimming Anemone, Stomphia didemon, and a Spotted Swimming Anemone, Stomphia coccinea, though to be honest it doesn't look exactly like either. Perhaps that is why my head is hurting!

I should have gone looking for a Leather Star!

nwscubamom · Post by **nwscubamom** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 11:45 am

There are many variations of color (all oranges and whites though) for the Swimming Anemone (which I fourth the opinion, btw). I've seen the bases be orange and I've seen them be pale whitish too.

Fish Eating Anemones always have a very dark crimson red column. Yours is whitish. The tentacles are also not 'fat' enough to be a Fish Eating Anemone. So that rules that one out.

Another clue to it being a Swimming anemone is that the base is as wide as the anemone is tall. And yes, as Lowell said, you can see the slight banding on the tentacles too.

Hope this helps!

BTW, it really helps if you can get a big variety of books in which to research your topics. Going off one or two views in just one or two books doesn't always show the variations that a critter can have. You might look at getting Gotshall's Invertebrate book too.

- Janna

thelawgoddess · Post by **thelawgoddess** » Sun Jun 17, 2007 8:06 pm

it's a beautiful color, that's for sure!

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:02 pm

Your photography is getting better all the time, Tom!

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 12:57 pm

Calvin wrote:Your photography is getting better all the time, Tom!

Thanks Calvin! So should a bunch of folks on this board, using the Casio that you recommended!

jackieg · Post by **jackieg** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:08 pm

A clever plan to improve my u/w photography, Tom, but my Casio apparently is the victim of operator error....or at least that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Jackie

Tom Nic · Post by **Tom Nic** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 1:19 pm

I've been thinking about starting a thread for users of the Casio 1000 and 1050 to interact about how they use their cameras. It would be a "I tried this and it worked or sucked or whatever". It might be beneficial, and perhaps even a bit of a primer to post advice about using point and shoot digitals underwater. Some of it would be specific to the Casio's, but some stuff about settings, etc. could cross over to other digital cameras. It would be great to hear what others do and how they use their cameras. To work well it shouldn't be a subsitute for reading the owner's manual ](*,) but as an end user tips thread it could be helpful.

Hmmm... which thread to put it in? Diver ED? Gear Central? Any thoughts?

Tangfish · Post by **Tangfish** » Mon Jun 18, 2007 2:50 pm

I'd say gear central, or possibly even the page y'all read about it on in the first place. A few have asked questions there.