32 photos - 21 species
Actinoporus elongatus
Sand-dwelling anemone
Maximum size: 5.2 cm
Maximum depth: 0 - 2 m
This sea anemone is usually found solitary in sandbanks,
in the sand near reefs and in seagrass.
Normally it is completely buried in the sand.
We found this one during a night dive.
It has very short tentacles that barely protrude beyond the oral disc.
A few rows of tiny bumps can be seen on the oral disc itself.
If it is disturbed, it can partially retract its oral disc into the body column
and bury itself completely.
Photos 1 - 3 Astrid: Bonaire Caribbean
Bartholomea annulata
Corkscrew anemone or Curleyclue anemone
Size: 10 - 18 cm
Depth 1.5 - 40 cm
Long, pointed and thin transparent tentacles with white corkscrew pattern.
Colour variations of body and tentacles: grey, green, brown.
Slightly poisonous.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Calliactis polypus
Hermit crab anemone
This species has up to 700 thin tentacles and inhabits rock
and coral reefs down to a depth of 60 metres.
It lives symbiotically on snail shells, which are inhabited by hermit crabs.
Photo 1 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Condylactis gigantea
Giant sea anemone, Giant caribbean anemone
or Giant caribbean sea anemone
Maximum size: 15-30 cm
Largest Caribbean anemone, white body, often differently coloured.
Found in reefs and lagoons.
Their bodies are usually hidden in crevices.
Not poisonous, but can easily nettle sensitive skin.
Photos 1 - 3 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Cryptodendrum adhaesivum
Adhesive anemone, Pizza anemone or Nap-edged anemone
This species lives individually in the shallow water of lagoons,
as well as on outer and fringing reefs down to a depth of 30 metres.
They are flat like plates and can reach a size of 75 cm in diameter.
They have very short and sticky tentacles.
Anemone crabs and anemone shrimps are often found in them.
Photo 1 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Photo 2 Johnny: Bali Indonesia
Edwardsianthus sp.
Burrowing anemone or Worm anemone
At home in sandy lagoons with the foot disc clinging to stones or corals.
Various colours.
Photo 1 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North - Sulawesi
Edwardsianthus sp.
Burrowing anemone or Worm anemone
At home in sandy lagoons with the foot disc clinging to stones or corals.
Various colours.
Photo 1 Johnny: Lembeh Strait North - Sulawesi
Entacmaea quadricolor
Bulb-entacle sea anemone, Bubble-tip sea anemone
or Bubbletip anemone
They have long tentacles, which are expanded like bubbles at the tips and look like dummies.
13 different anemonefish live with them in a community.
If the fish are disturbed, they withdraw into the anemone.
Although they live solitary, they often settle so densely that they
can form veritable lawns in shallow water.
Photo 1 Johnny: El Quesir Egypt
Heteractis aurora
Beaded sea anemone
The tentacle swellings, which make this species easy to identify,
are strung like pearls on a necklace.
The tentacles stick when touched.
They can be found from the Red Sea to the Pacific.
Photo 1 Johnny: Moalboal Philippines
Isarachnanthus nocturnus
Banded tube-dwelling anemone
Size: disc 2 - 3 cm, tentacles 2, 5 - 5 cm
Depth: 3 - 24 m
Outer tentacles are translucent, brown and white banded.
The oral disc and inner tentacles are whitish.
It retracts when exposed to currents or light.
Photos 1 - 2 Astrid: Bonaire Caribbean
Laviactis lucida
Knobby sea anemone
Tentacle size: 7.5 - 10 cm
Depth 1 - 30 m
Long, pointed and thin transparent tentacles with cnidocyte-bearing tubercles.
Colour variations of body and tentacles: grey, green, brown.
Body mostly concealed, retracts completely when disturbed.
Nettles.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Lebrunia coralligens
Hidden anemone
Size: 3 - 7 cm
Depth 1 - 12 m
Long pseudotentacles with dark, slightly thickened,
sometimes double tips protruding from crevices.
Colour variations: Dark grey, brownish green with shaded ringlets and lines.
Withdraws completely when disturbed.
It only stretches out its true tentacles, which are long and unbranched, at night.
Poisonous, nettles.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Lebrunia neglecta
Stinging anemone or Branching anemone
Size: 7 - 25 cm
Depth 1 - 40 m
Thick branched pseudotentacles with conspicuous, cnidocyte-bearing nodules.
Usually dark grey to brown with lighter markings, sometimes blue-green.
It only stretches out its real tentacles, which are long and unbranched, at night.
Poisonous, nettles.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Macrodactyla doreensis
Corkscrew tentacle sea anemone, Long-tentacle anemone,
Corkscrew tentacle anemone or Snaky anemone
Maximum size: 50 cm
Various colours, such as purple, pink, green, beige and brown.
Found on sandy bottoms near coral reefs.
When danger threatens, it retreats into the sand.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Nemanthus annamensis
Zebra striped gorgonian wrapper
Maximum size: 5 cm
Some coral species are overgrown by it.
It has 120 - 130 tentacles, the inner ones being longer than the outer ones.
Its tentacles and column are white,
orange or yellowish in colour and painted with dark spots,
blotches and stripes.
Photo 1 Johnny: Bangka Island North Sulawesi
Parazoanthus swiftii
Golden zoanthid
Maximum size: 0.6 cm
Maximum depth: 8 - 40 metres
It lives symbiotically on various sponges, often wrapping itself around the sponge.
Photos 1 - 2 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Pseudocorynactis caribbeorum
Orange ball corallimorph
Maximum size: disc 2.5 - 5 cm
Depth: 6 - 24 m
The body and the spherical tips on the transparent tentacles are bright orange,
rarely also white to pale yellow.
Active at night, retracts when disturbed or illuminated,
Photo 1 Johnny: Bonaire Caribbean
Radianthus crispa
Leathery sea anemone or Sebae anemone
Diameter: 30 cm
Depth: 1 - 5 m
Leathery stem with relatively few, about 15 cm long bluish, pink to light purple tentacles.
They are often found buried in the sand or in crevices in shallow lagoons and outer reefs.
Often a host for Red Sea anemonefish and Periclimenes shrimps.
Photos 1 - 2 Johnny: El Qesir Egypt
Radianthus magnifica
Colored long tentacle anemone
They like to settle where moderate to strong currents prevail.
Under favourable site conditions, they can reach a diameter of 60 cm.
Their broad foot disc, which bears suction warts,
adheres very firmly to the substrate and it is almost impossible to detach it.
Photo 1 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Photos 2 - 3 Johnny: Bangka Island North Sulawei
Photo 4 Johnny: Embudu Maldives
Stichodactyla haddoni
Haddon's sea anemone
Maximum diameter 75 cm
Depth: 4 - 40 m
Found singly in crevices, among coral rubble and on various soft bottoms.
They are among the largest reef anemones in the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific.
If you touch the tentacles, they stick to your hand,
but are neither dangerous nor painful to human skin.
Six different anemone fishes use them as wits anemones,
and you often see more than one species on the same anemone.
Photo 1 Johnny: Hurghada Egypt
Stichodactyla mertensii
Merten's anemone
It can reach a diameter of over one metre, with short tentacles of varying lengths,
but all have the same diameter and end bluntly or pointedly.
Up to twelve different clownfish live in their company.
Photo 1 Johnny: Embudu Maldives