Biodiversity & Conservation

Cloak anemone - Adamsia carciniopados

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.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Cnidaria Sea anemones, corals, sea firs & jellyfish
Class Hexacorallia
Authority (Otto, 1823)
Recent synonyms Adamsia carciniopados
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.
Identifying features
  • Occurs attached to hermit crab Pagurus prideaux.
  • This anemone has a white column with lilac-pink or crimson spots.
  • The disc and tentacles always occur beneath the belly of the crab.
  • The span of the tentacles is up to 5 cm.
  • Long acontia (defensive white threads) are emitted from the lower part of the column when the anemone is disturbed.
Additional information icon Additional information This anemone is almost always found on the hermit crab Pagurus prideaux. The association appears to be obligatory between the 2 species and they are not generally found apart in normal circumstances and both degenerate quickly if separated. The base of the sea anemone secretes a chitinous membrane which effectively increases the size of the gastropod shell so as the crab grows it does not need to change shells.

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 09/02/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2368>