Unidentified Floridian Anemone #1
Below is the first in a series of sea anemone species that I have collected in Florida that defy my attempts to identify them.
Orange color morph of the unidentified “sunburst anemone” found locally along rocky Floridian seashores. It measures about 2cm across the oral disc.
Pictured above is an anemone that is found on both the east and west coasts of Florida. I haven’t yet found it in the Florida Keys, but it is likely to be found there as well. This anemone is pictured in Humann and DeLoach’s ” Caribbean Reef Creature ID” guide book on page 101, and listed as an unidentified species they dub as a “Sunburst Anemone”. However, in reference to its range, the authors write that it was “photographed in Los Frailes Islets, Venezuela where the species occurs occasionally; range has yet to be established”. It would seem logical then, that if it is reported in the extreme southern Caribbean and (now) on the Floridian coasts, that it can also be found elsewhere throughout the rest of the Caribbean basin. It is amazing that such a widely distributed, and relatively common anemone has yet to be formally described by science. This is likely due to the scarcity of anemone taxonomists active today.
At least from what I’ve observed in Florida, the “sunburst anemone” is found in shallow, rocky sub- to inter-tidal habitats. They are easily overlooked because it seems that they prefer shady crevices and the undersides of rocks. They live in colonies of dozens of individuals. They range in size from about 1″-2″ (2.5-5cm) in diameter. They show a diversity of color morphs ranging from rust orange to purple-red. White radial striping (the ‘sunburst’) is often present to varying degrees, but sometimes absent. Despite how vibrant they appear under flash photography, they unfortunately do not show any fluorescence.
Their natural habitat is prone to wide fluctuations in temperature, salinity, water quality, and even exposure to air at low tide. Thus they appear to be very hardy aquarium inhabitants. A small (pico/nano sized) species-specific aquarium would be perfect for these little anemones. Like other anemones, they are prone to moving from one location to another on their own accord. Threfore, they run the risk of getting sucked into pump intakes and harmful interactions with other corals or anemones. Ensure that the aquarium is “anemone safe” to prevent them from harm. I am not 100% certain whether they are photosynthetic or not, but I am erring towards ‘not’ due to their cryptic nature in the wild. Regular feedings of chopped fish, shrimp, etc. are most likely all that they need to thrive and reproduce.
Pictured above is an orange-brown morph of the ‘sunburst anemone’ with yellow-ish tentacles. It measures about 2cm across the oral disc.
