CNIDARIA : ACTINIARIA : ActiniidaeSEA ANEMONES AND HYDROIDS

Anemonia viridis (Forsskål, 1775)

Snakelocks anemone


Anemonia viridis

Description: The long, sinuous tentacles of this sea anemone are rarely retracted (although retractile). The column is smooth, with a row of inconspicuous warts on the rim of the parapet. The colour of the column is brownish or greyish; tentacles are similar or bright green, usually with bright purple tips and red bases. Span of tentacles up to 200mm but usually less than that in British specimens.

Habitat: Usually found in open situations exposed to the light. On the shore in pools, on rocks or sea-weed (eel-grass or kelp) and in the shallow sublittoral down to about 20m.

Distribution: Common, locally very abundant on south and west coasts of the British Isles; around southwest Europe to the Mediterranean and probably west Africa.

Similar Species: In the past brown individuals of this species have been confused with Aiptasia mutabilis.

Key Identification Features:

Distribution Map: NBN map : National Biodiversity Network mapping facility, data for UK.

WoRMS: Species record : World Register of Marine Species.

iNaturalist: Species account : iNaturalist World Species Observations database



 Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Anemonia viridis (Forsskål, 1775). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland.
https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=D11580 Accessed on 2025-02-16

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