Green Anemone
Aulactinia veratra
Description 5
A common small anemone easily confused with Isactinia olicvacea, but described as a more vivid green.
Habitat
Rocky shore intertidal zone, rock pools, crevices, and the undersides of ledges, adhering to and between rocks.
Pedal disc
Well developed pedal disc, pale tan approx same diameter as the column, up to 35mm diameter.
Column
The column averaging 20mm high, up to 35mm diameter. Usually green, but brown and reddish brown forms are known but are less common.
Light coloured adhesive areas run in lines up the side of the column and coarse sand and shell grit stick to these. During low tide the tentacles are retracted and the contracted column appears black, covered in the sand and shells.
There are no spherules or pseudospherules at margin of the column.
Tentacles
Regular array of 24 to 124 tentacles (possibly more in large specimens), the same colour as rest of the anemone. All approx the same length, the central ones are held erect, the marginal ones droop over edge.
One site says "tentacles that are the same colour as its column"
Distribution
Recorded from Auckland, Kaikoura, Otago Peninsula, but probably throughout NZ, and possibly misidentified as Isactinia olicvacea
References 5
Thumbnails in this section are for reference only while this page is being rebuilt, don't assume they are correct as they haven't been verified.
- https://shapeandtheidea.wordpress.com/2015/11/07/green-anemone-aulactinia-veratra-drayton-in-dana-1846/
- http://www.gbri.org.au/SpeciesList/Aulactiniaveratra|JasondaSilva.aspx
- http://museum.wa.gov.au/sites/default/files/REDESCRIPTION%20OF%20AULACTINIA%20VERATRA%20N.%20COMB.%20%28=CNIDOPU%20VERATA%29%20%28COELENTERATA%20ACTINIARIA%29%20FROM%20AUSTRALIA.%20.pdf
- http://australianmuseum.net.au/green-anemone
- NZ Coastal Marine Invertebrates Vol 1 by Steve de C. Cook, p154
Sources and Credits
- (c) John Turnbull, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aulactinia_veratra.jpg
- (c) John Turnbull, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwturnbull/9091092090/
- (c) John Turnbull, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC-SA), https://www.flickr.com/photos/johnwturnbull/6529909429/
- anonymous, no known copyright restrictions (public domain), http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:FMIB_52999_Phymactis_veratra.jpeg
- (c) Tony Wills, some rights reserved (CC BY-SA)
