Red Sea Anemone

Anemonia alicemartinae can easily be spotted off the coast of Chile from its bright red appearance. They are covered in a layer of mucus while submerged. It has a pedal disk diameter between 13–18 mm (0.51–0.71 in) for a medium‑sized sea anemone to attach itself, with tentacles reaching lengths of up to 17 mm (0.67 in). Their tentacles are normally bent toward the center to cover the oral disk, which contains the mouth used for feeding and waste expulsion.

Anemonia alicemartinae is distributed along the Chilean coast in intertidal zones and is one of the most abundant sea anemones in its region. They are generally found in groups of 5–10 in areas without direct wave surges. They can thrive up to a depth of 16 meters in tide pools, normally attached to bare rock. Data show temperature ranges from 13–23 °C and salinity ranges from 33–36‰ in their habitat. Over the past 50 years, its distribution has increased by >1900 km along the coast of the SE Pacific Ocean, making its expansion rate around 38 km yr⁻¹. Its latitude has extended from 18°S to 36°S. While its point of origin is unknown, scientific research points to the possible conclusion that it comes from southern Peru. The location of the highest population density was found to be off the coast of Arica.

Like all sea anemones, A. alicemartinae is carnivorous. They have been found to eat crabs, shrimp, sea urchins, macroalgae, polychaete worms, mussels, bivalves, and other sea anemones. They eat by using their stinging tentacles to release a paralyzing neurotoxin from specialized stinging cells called nematocysts into their prey. Afterward, the animal uses its tentacles to pull its food into its mouth.

The life cycle begins at the reproduction of this organism. Reproduction in A. alicemartinae occurs mainly through asexual fission as noted in the original description by Häussermann, who observed multiple scars on the organism, which is a sign of fission. The beginning life stages of A. alicemartinae do not include a larval phase, and the male sex has been proven to be infertile. Throughout the juvenile and adult stages, it disperses across chosen substrates through detachment and reattachment.