Urticina grebelnyi
| Urticina grebelnyi | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Actiniaria |
| Family: | Actiniidae |
| Genus: | Urticina |
| Species: | U. grebelnyi
|
| Binomial name | |
| Urticina grebelnyi Sanamyan & Sanamyan, 2006[1]
| |
Urticina grebelnyi, commonly known as the painted anemone or Christmas anemone, is a large, colorful sea anemone found from Alaska to Southern California, at depths of 0 to 30 meters, often in high-current rocky habitats.[2][3] They can live up to 80 years.[4]
Description
Painted anemones have a cylindrical column, about 15 cm diameter, which is covered in non-adhesive warts, and mottled with irregular patches of green, yellow, red, and white.[5] The oral disk is more uniformly yellow-green or pale lilac in color. Large specimens can have up to 200 tentacles, which are generally the same color as the oral disk, often with reddish-pink or brown bands and blunt-ended tips.[2][3][5]
Natural hHistory
Painted anemones are sessile, and feed opportunistically by catching crabs, urchins, mussels, gastropods, chitons, barnacles, and fish with their tentacles.[2][4] The tip of each tentacle contains stinging cells that can paralyze prey. The stinging tentacles can also be used to fend of predators, which include various species of nudibranchs, sea stars, and snails.[6]
Etymology
The species is named after the Russian marine biologist Sergey Grebelnyi who first recognized this species in 1983.[5]
References
- ^ van der Land, Jacob (2008). "Urticina grebelnyi Sanamyan & Sanamyan, 2006". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
- ^ a b c "Christmas anemone, Painted anemone Urticina grebelnyi". SIMoN: Sanctuary Integrated Monitoring Network. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
- ^ a b Sanamyan, Nadya; Schories, Dirk; Sanamyan, Karen. "Urticina grebelnyi Sanamyan et Sanamyan, 2006: Painted Anemone". Actiniaria.com. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
- ^ a b Harrison, S (2017). "The Painted Predator". Fisheries. 42 (11): 604 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
- ^ a b c Sanamyan, NP; Sanamyan, KE (2006). "The genera Urticina and Cribrinopsis (Anthozoa: Actiniaria) from the north-western Pacific". Journal of Natural History. 40 (7--8): 359--393 – via Taylor & Francis Online.
- ^ Young, David. "Painted Anemone". Vic High Marine. Retrieved February 5, 2026.