Biodiversity & Conservation

Cloak anemone - Adamsia carciniopados - General information

Adamsia carciniopados

Image Keith Hiscock - Aquarium photograph of Adamsia carciniopados on Pagurus prideaux. Image width ca 7 cm.
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Distribution map

Adamsia carciniopados recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Adamsia carciniopados is not listed under any importance categories.

General information

Key Icon Researched by: Frances Peckett 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 Present around all coasts of Britain and Ireland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information This anemone lives almost exclusively on the hermit crab Pagurus prideaux which is found on sand or gravel, especially if stones and broken shells are present. It is a sublittoral species which can occur down to 200 m but can be observed on the lower shore if washed up after storms. Young specimens may be found on rocks or shells between tidemarks.
Text page icon Description The base and lower part of the column are expanded and form two lobes which envelop the hermit crab and its gastropod shell. The column of the anemone lies beneath the crab and the lobes meet on its dorsal side. The upper part of the column is short and cylindrical. The span of the tentacles is up to 5 cm. The column, disc and tentacles are white with the lower part of the column being chestnut in colour. The column is spotted with lilac-pink or crimson with a line of the same colour running around the upper margin. Long acontia (defensive white threads) are emitted from the lower part of the column when the anemone is disturbed.

This review can be cited as follows:

Frances Peckett 2007. Adamsia carciniopados. Cloak anemone. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 03/09/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesfullreview.php?speciesID=2368>