| CNIDARIA : ACTINIARIA : Haloclavidae | SEA ANEMONES AND HYDROIDS |
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| Peachia cylindrica |
Description: This burrowing sea anemone has an elongated column, which is sausage-shaped, with a rounded base, sometimes with adherent sand grains. There are 12 tentacles, long in extension (only when buried). From one angle of the mouth a small lobed projection (conchula) arises. The column is pale flesh-coloured, pink, or buff, mottled with darker buff or brown, with a ring of white markings just below the disc. The disc and tentacles are patterned with cream and brown; specimens with plain white discs are common. Length of column up to 300mm in full extension, span of tentacles to 120mm. A true burrowing anemone without an adhesive basal disc; the column has sticky spots which can adhere to solid objects. When not buried it may assume a variety of shapes from almost spherical to elongate. The tentacles remain short unless the column is buried.
Habitat: Lives buried, unattached, in sand or gravel- a true burrowing anemone. Occurs on shore at LWST or offshore down to at least 100m.
Distribution: All coasts of the British Isles, fairly common offshore, only occasional, between tide-marks. Throughout western Europe, including the Mediterranean.
Similar Species: Halcampa chrysanthellum and Halcampoides elongatus are also burrowing anemones with 12 tentacles (short in Halcampa) but both lack a conchula; Halcampoides elongatus tentacles are very long, without a pattern.
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
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| Picton, B.E. & Morrow, C.C. (2016). Peachia cylindrica (Reid, 1848). [In] Encyclopedia of Marine Life of Britain and Ireland. https://www.habitas.org.uk/marinelife/species.asp?item=D13190 Accessed on 2024-09-15 |
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