Pimplet Anemone
 

Common Name(s):  Red-speckled Pimplet Anemone Scientific Name:                                     Anthopleura ballii  Family: Usual Size:              cm

                              Photograph by Andy Horton

Identification: Brown acrorhagi (beads).  Tissues including oral disc stained green (not with chlorophyll in zooxanthellae symbiotic algae) with a green fluorescent protein, common in corals, sea anemones, and some other cnidarians.  Information provided by Vicki Pearse (President, American Microscopical Society)  on the Cnidarian Newsgroup.  MARLIN Information page for this sea anemone (Link)     Similar species:   Actinia equina (brown), Anthopleura thallii Breeding:  Sexual, sperm and eggs discharged into the sea.  Habitat:  Shallow seas, including shore pools.  Food: Tissues contain a green fluorescent protein which appears to be necessary for the long term survival of this sea anemone. Ingests larger food items both dead and alive, e.g. small fish, just moulted palaemonid prawns.    Range: South & west of the British Isles. Mediterranean and the Atlantic coasts of Portugal, France, Spain.  Most easterly point found on the northern coast of the English Channel, is Worthing, Sussex, where it has been recorded on a handful of occasions (by Andy Horton).  Additional Notes: This anemone is unable to retract its tentacles.   (Red-speckled) Pimplet Anemone Link Pimplet Anemone, Anthopleura ballii Photograph by Dave Mc Bride This splendid study of the Pimplet Anemone was taken near the wreck of the Colussus, off Samson Island, Isle of Scillies   Reports: 30 March 2002 Lancing beach  was home to five species of sea anemones including large Dahlia Anemones and frequent Snakelocks Anemones, enough to identify this location as the most easterly regular location of this sea anemone on the northern English Channel.  The Pimplet Anemone was also discovered, another anemone species that has never been recorded this far east before.  Full Report         Information wanted: Please send any records of this sea anemone, with location, date, who discovered it, how it was identified, prevalence, common name and any other details to:  Shorewatch Project EMail Glaucus@hotmail.com.  All messages will receive a reply.    Shorewatch Project