Gem anemone (Bunodactis verrucosa)
Key facts
- Scientific name
- Bunodactis verrucosa
- Common name
- Gem anemone
- Category
- Corals
- Family
- Actiniidae
- Genus
- Bunodactis
- IUCN status
- Least concern (LC)
- Danger level
- Harmless
- Habitats
- rocky-reef, tidepool
- Behaviours
- sessile, predator, venomous
- Ocean zones
- East Atlantic, Mediterranean
Description
Bunodactis verrucosa reaches 5 cm diameter. Stocky column covered in white or grayish adhesive warts. Oral disc radiating brown-pink and gray. Forty-eight often pink-white banded tentacles. Lives from 0 to 20 m in tidepools and rocks from Northeast Atlantic to Morocco. Tolerates emersion well by retracting. Predator of small crustaceans and fish. Highly variable colors between individuals. Good indicator of healthy rocky shore.
Photo of Gem anemone
Frequently asked questions
- Is the Gem anemone dangerous to divers?
- Danger level: Harmless.
- What is the conservation status of the Gem anemone?
- IUCN status: Least concern (LC).
- Where can you find the Gem anemone?
- Found in: East Atlantic, Mediterranean.
Other species in the family Actiniidae
- Anemonia viridis - Snakelocks anemone
- Actinia equina - Beadlet anemone
- Entacmaea quadricolor - Bubble-tip anemone
- Condylactis gigantea - Giant Caribbean anemone
- Macrodactyla doreensis - Long tentacle anemone
- Actinia fragacea - Strawberry anemone
Sources
- Taxonomy: WoRMS (AphiaID 100819)
- Photos: iNaturalist (CC BY-NC)
- Distribution: GBIF (taxonKey 4283460)
- Conservation: IUCN Red List
- Encyclopedia: Wikipedia