Corynactis annulata, or the strawberry anemone, is a bright pink colonial anthozoan similar in body form to sea anemones and scleractinian stony corals. This species is a solitary animal of the order Corallimorpharia.[2]

Corynactis annulata
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Corallimorpharia
Family: Corallimorphidae
Genus: Corynactis
Species:
C. annulata
Binomial name
Corynactis annulata
(Verrill, 1867)[1]
Synonyms
  • Melactis annulata Verrill, 1867
  • Ropalactis annulata (Verrill, 1867)

Description

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Corynactis annulata may also be reddish in colour

The strawberry anemone is a very distinctive small bright pink anemone having white knobs on the ends of its tentacle tips. It grows to a diameter of 1 centimetre (0.39 in). Green and reddish colour morphs are also known.[3]

Distribution

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This species is found around the southern African coast from Port Nolloth to Mossel Bay, intertidally to 35 metres (115 ft). It is also known from the Inaccessible Archipelago in the southern Atlantic Ocean.

Ecology

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It occurs in clusters and sheets on rocky reefs and wrecks. It feeds on small planktonic organisms.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Corynactis annulata". BioLib. Retrieved 16 July 2010.
  2. ^ Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0
  3. ^ a b Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9