Biodiversity & Conservation

Strawberry anemone - Actinia fragacea - General information

Actinia fragacea

Image Keith Hiscock - Actinia fragacea hanging off rock at Divers Beach, Lundy.
Image copyright information

  • #
  • #
  • #
  • #
  • #
  • #
  • #
Distribution map

Actinia fragacea recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

Sightings Have you seen Actinia fragacea?
If so please submit your record.

Actinia fragacea is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Olwen Ager Text page icon Refereed by:

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy

Phylum Cnidaria Sea anemones, corals, sea firs & jellyfish
Class Hexacorallia
Map icon Recorded distribution in Britain and Ireland Recorded from south and west coasts of Britain, records of Actinia equina (beadlet anemone) may include records of Actinia fragacea which was previously considered a variety of Actinia equina, see additional information below.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Recorded on the lower shore attached to rocks and boulders, often found in shaded places. Sometimes found partly buried in sand.
Text page icon Description Large anemone with a broad base (up to 10 cm across). The column is red, ranging from bright scarlet to deep brownish crimson, and covered with small green spots. The spots give this anemone its common name as they look like strawberry pips. Wart like spots (acrorhagi), to which gravel and stones attach, may be present.

This review can be cited as follows:

Olwen Ager 2008. Actinia fragacea. Strawberry anemone. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2360>