Trumpet Anemone (Aiptasia Mutabilis)

Latin name: Aiptasia mutabilis
Common name: Trumpet anemone
Family: Aiptasiidae

Habitat: In holes or small crevices.

Reproduction: It reproduces by budding small pieces of tissue from its pedal disc that crawl away and rapidly grow into new anemones, genetically identical to the parent. Such clones can form dense carpets over the rock.

Shape: Has about 100 long, almost transparent tentacles that do not retract readily. It is protected by a coiled sticky thread which shoots out from the tentacle tip if threatened.

Colour: It has a bluish tint due to the presence of zooxanthellae (symbiotic unicellular algae).

Enemies: It is a preferred prey species of the nudibranch, spurillaneapolitana.