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Urticina piscivora - Fish-eating anemone
Geographic range:
Alaska to California
Key features:
Smooth red column and either all white or red tentacles.
Similar species:
Urticina lofotensis -- White-spotted rose anemone
Urticina columbiana --
Sand-rose anemone
Habitat(s):
bay (rocky shore), exposed rocky shore, kelp forest, protected rocky shore
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Primary common name:
Fish-eating anemone |
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ITIS code:
611869 |
Synonymous name(s):
Tealia piscivora |
General grouping:
Corals and anemones |
| Geographic Range |
Range description:
Alaska to southern Channel Islands, CA |
Northern latitude extent:
-- |
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Southern latitude extent:
-- |
East longitude extent:
-- |
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West longitude extent:
-- |
| Intertidal Height |
Lowest intertidal height:
meters OR -2 feet |
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Highest intertidal height:
meters OR 0 feet |
Intertidal height notes:
Uncommon in the intertidal of central California. |
| Subtidal Depth Range |
Minimum depth:
0 meters OR 0 feet |
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Maximum depth:
48 meters OR feet |
Subtidal depth notes:
-- |
| Habitats |
Habitat(s):
bay (rocky shore), exposed rocky shore, kelp forest, protected rocky shore |
Habitat notes:
Often found in kelp forests attached to rocky reef. |
| Abundance |
Relative abundance:
Common to abundant |
| Species Description |
General description:
There are several species of Urticina, but each is slightly different from the other. U. piscivora has a brick red and very smooth column, lacking any of the otherwise distinctive bumps (verrucae) found on congeners. Tentacles are either solid white or a solid red color, but different from the column red. Oral disc is mostly a golden orange, with red markings surrounding the base of each tentacle and arranged in a radiating pattern from the center. Younger individuals have white and red/pink tentacles, somewhat like U. coriacea but the column is still a solid, smooth red color. |
Distinctive features:
A smooth red column lacking verrucae and about three rows of tentacles, usually solid white or red. |
Size:
Tentacle diameter: to 35 cm
Basal diameter: to 20 cm
Height: to 25 cm
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| Natural History |
General natural history:
U. piscivora is a common, sometimes abundant, inhabitant of kelp forests in central California. Like other anemones, it uses nematocysts to capture and consume prey. A nematocyst is produced by a specialized cell (cnidocyte or nematocyte) and includes a physically-activated trigger (cnidocil) that leads to an electro-chemical change in the cell. This in turn causes the hollow, coiled tube to shoot out of the operculum and force numerous barbs into the tissue contacting the cell. A neurotxin is then pumped in through this hollow, harpoon-like thread, which may lead to paralysis or death.
Although called the fish-eating anemone, there is evidence that the painted greenling Oxylebius pictus may actually associate with U. piscivora but remains unharmed.
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Predator(s):
It is not known what, if anything, preys upon U. piscivora. |
Prey:
Planktonic organisms and anything small enough that falls into the grasp of the tentacles and is unable to escape. |
| Feeding behavior |
Feeding behavior(s):
Sessile suspension feeder |
Feeding behavior notes:
-- |
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Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary:
-- |
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Gulf of Farallones National Marine Sanctuary:
-- |
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Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary:
None known at this time. |
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Listing Status:
-- |
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Monitoring Trends:
-- |
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