← All marine life
Adhesive Anemone
Species

Adhesive Anemone

Cryptodendrum adhaesivum, (Klunzinger, 1877)

marine

About Adhesive Anemone

Cryptodendrum is a genus of sea anemones in the family Thalassianthidae. It is monotypic with a single species, Cryptodendrum adhaesivum, also commonly known as the adhesive anemone, pizza anemone, and nap-edged anemone. Like all symbiotic anemones it hosts zooxanthellae, symbiotic algae that help feed their host.

Appearance

This anemone grows to a size of 30 centimeters and is distinguished by its colored, beaded and waving curved edge. It has two different forms of tentacles. At the center of the oral disc, it has narrow, short, about 5 mm long, tentacles that are branched with five or more "fingers", like a small, inflated rubber glove. The tentacles are extremely sticky. The tentacles at the edge have a bubble-like thickening of about one millimeter diameter at the end. The two types of tentacles are usually different colors.

Habitat

C. adhaesivum is widely distributed being found in tropical waters from the Indian Ocean to the Western Pacific.

Where to see it

No dive sites list Adhesive Anemone yet. Explore the map to find sites near you.