Hermit Crab Anemone, Tri-colored Anemone (Calliactis tricolor) |
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| Description This anemone is normally attached to hermit crab shells, especially the flat-clawed hermit, Paguris pollicaris, the giant red hermit, Petrochirus diogenes, and rarely the striped hermit, Clibanarius vittatus. It may also attach directly to the carapace of the calico box crab, Hepatus epheliticus. Large numbers may wash ashore as flotsam. The column is usually dull brown with cream streaks with several irregular rows of dark spots above the base. Numerous (up to 200) short tentacles are usually white, but may be pink or orange. The disk is usually less than two inches across, with a mouth that is pigmented in bands of yellow, red, and pink-purple. The animal reproduces asexually by a lengthwise division of the column. This anemone lives in a symbiotic relationship with its host. The anemone gets a mobile surface without competition and may share in the crab’s meals. The crab gets camouflage and protection. The anemone is reported to protect the crab from attack by octopus and box crabs. Hermit crabs may help the anemone move with them to a new shell, or the anemone may move to a new shell on its own. |
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| Complete
classification tree Family = Hormathiidae Subtribe = Acontiaria Tribe = Thenaria Suborder = Nyantheae Order = Actiniaria Subclass = Hexacorallia Class = Anthozoa Phylum = Cnidaria |
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| Recognition
characteristics - Two siphonoglyphs - Acontia present - Commonly attached to shells containing hermit crabs - Tan-brown colored, commonly with several darker longitudinal stripes - Tentacles "barred" with "mouth" opening violet colored |
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| Local
habitat It is most abundant on the northwest side of the Matanzas Inlet in sloughs or attached to many different substrates. |
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| Collection
method By hand, working the sloughs at low tide, especially the ones with the peat bottoms. |
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| Links
and references http://www.tufts.edu/as/tampl/cbl/anemone1/ A good page on anemones http://www.coastalgeorgia.com/coastalencounters/n-news.htm http://www.fau.edu/divdept/biology/people/wbrooks.htm http://hercules.kgs.ku.edu/hexacoral/anemone2/valid_species.cfm http://www.mhhe.com/biosci/genbio/tlw/full/activity/research/research21.html William R. Brooks & Dan Rittschof. Invertebrate Biology, Vol 114 No. 2, p 180-185. (1995). Chemical detection and host selection by the symbiotic crab Porcellana sayana. Evidence for symbiotic association with Calliactis and crab. |
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