PORT PHILLIP BAY


Anemone 

Cricophorus nutrix (Stuckey, 1909)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

See below for information.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Cnidaria
Class:
Anthozoa
Subclass:
Hexacorallia
Order:
Actiniaria
Suborder:
Nyantheae
Family:
Hormathiidae
Genus:
Cricophorus
Species:
nutrix

General Description

Mouth area (oral disc) brown with white pattern radiating outwards from mouth. Tentacles about 100 in number, light brown with faint stripes across tentacles. Column brown, lower column (limbus) may have cream stripes. Column about 2 cm long.

Biology

These animals live attached, by their pedal disc at the base of the column, to blades of seagrass. They have a threadlike network of structures called acontia that are laden with nematocysts.

Habitat

Seagrass stands, to depth of 2 m.

Seagrass meadows

Coastal shores

Distribution guide

New Zealand and southern Australia.

Species Group

Anemones

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

2 cm

Diet

Carnivore

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Recorded in Australia

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author Mitchell, M.

Michela Mitchell is a consultant with expertise in cnidarian taxonomy.

citation

Cite this page as:
Mitchell, M., 2011, Anemone, Cricophorus nutrix, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 04 Nov 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/5661

Text: creative commons cc by licence