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Calliactis polypus

Outer Hermit-anemone

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Outer Hermit-anemone, Hermit-crab Anemone

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia - French Polynesia, Hawai‘i - w.Central America

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Poisonous sting and irritant - moderate

KEY FEATURES: Usually to 5cm in height and diameter.The tentacles, often about 500, are slender and drawnout to the sharp tip. They are brown or grey with pale or dark spots and blotches. The tentacles have narrow pale bands. But colours are variable.

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Calliactis polypus (Forsskål, 1775)
SYNONYMS: Calliactis armillatus

TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); ANTHOZOA; ZOANTHARIA (=Hexacorallia); Actiniaria; HORMATHIIDAE

More Information

GENERAL NOTE: The extruded threats are called acontia. They are mainly defensive when extruded, and aid in food handling when inside.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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