Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area, California

Compiled & photographed by Gary McDonald, Long Marine Laboratory, University of California, Santa Cruz

Corynactis californica Carlgren, 1936               
Strawberry Anemone
Cnidaria: Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Corallimorpharia: Corallimorphidae
Geographic Range: British Columbia, Canada to Baja California, Mexico; rare north of California. Synonyms:
Back to: Anthozoa Back to: Intertidal Invertebrates of the Monterey Bay Area
Corynactis_californica_0005.jpg
Wharf #2, Monterey, Monterey Co., CA; 2007.

Description: Body color variable: red, crimson, pink, purple, brown, orange, yellow buff, or nearly white. Tentacles white and club-tipped (capitate). May be distinguished from Balanophyllia elegans which has a hard calcareous skeleton, and tapered tentacles.
Size: Tentacular crown usually about 10mm diameter, but may reach 25m in diameter.
Notes: This species occurs in aggregations of similar color clones.

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Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008.
Corynactis_californica_0023.jpg
Carmel Pt., Monterey Co., CA; 5 Mar 2008. Close-up of capitate tentacles.

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