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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Magnificent Sea-anemone GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE e.Africa - Indonesia - Tuamotu COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, near-shore KEY FEATURES: A masssive anemone, to 50cm diameter, with grey-green tentacles, although the colum can be any colour from bright purple, blue, green, red or white. The tentacles are typically nearly uniform in thickness and have a blunt, rounded tip.

Cook Islands Distribution

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

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Heteractis magnifica
SYNONYMS: Radianthes ritteri; Stoichactis magnifica [QQ]

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

GENERAL NOTE: Clownfishes and some Damselfishes live with anemones, and can be collectively called anemonefish. The anemones have powerful stinging-cells which can kill small fish and small floating-animals (=zooplankton), but the anemonefishes are immune. The young fish nibble the tentacles and allow their fins to be stung, and gradually they obtain a mucous covering which prevents the discharge of the anemone's stinging-cells. After this the fish can nestle down among the stinging tentacles to protect itself against its enemies. The clownfishes being poor swimmers live their entire life with the anemonies, while the young of the other damsels can seek protection in this way or can live by hidding within a branching coral. What does the anemone benefit? The anemones can life independently of the fish, but while associated with a fish it may benefit through pieces of dropped food, having parasites removed, and water movement to obtain more oxygen.i Because there is a mutual benefit from the association, this animal-animal relationship is known as mutualism ( or symbiosis).

Vouchers:
None Recorded.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zB02, zD02

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