Biodiversity & Conservation

Gem anemone - Aulactinia verrucosa

Aulactinia verrucosa

Image Richard Lord - The gem anemone, Aulactinia verrucosa, in south west Guernsey. Image width ca 2 cm.
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Distribution map

Aulactinia verrucosa 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 Aulactinia verrucosa?
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Aulactinia verrucosa is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Cnidaria Sea anemones, corals, sea firs & jellyfish
Class Hexacorallia
Authority (Pennant, 1777)
Recent synonyms Bunodactis verrucosa
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Aulactinia verrucosa is a southern species reaching its northern limit in the British Isles where it is most common on south and west shores. Present on all Irish coasts. Recorded at a few locations in south-west Scotland and Shetland.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Found on the shore in localities exposed to strong wave action but also in sheltered places. Typically found in crevices in shallow water and in rock pools among Corallina. Also found attached to the bedrock beneath the layer of sand or gravel which often accumulates on the bottom of pools.
Text page icon Description Base up to 25 mm in diameter and broader than column. Column narrow and cylindrical, up to 50 mm tall, and covered with small wart-like protuberances (verrucae). Up to 48 tentacles present, in cycles of 6, reaching up to 15 mm in length. Column grey or pink. Verrucae mostly grey but 6 principal rows are usually white. Tentacles transparent and mottled green, grey or pink in colour.
Identifying features
  • Verrucae prominent and arranged in up to 48 vertical rows.
  • No acrorhagi present, but verrucae extend on to the parapet.
Additional information icon Additional information Aulactinia verrucosa closes tightly when disturbed assuming a hemispherical shape resembling the denuded test of Echinus. It is similar to Anthopleura rubripunctata, which is often larger (up to 70 mm tall) and is covered with verrucae that are often red.

This review can be cited as follows:

Marie Skewes 2007. Aulactinia verrucosa. Gem anemone. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 22/05/2012]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2682>