Description and characteristics of the jewel anemone (Corynactis viridis)
The jewel anemone (Corynactis viridis) is a beautiful small anemone that does not usually exceed one centimeter in height and 2.5 centimeters in diameter with extended tentacles. These tentacles are arranged in three concentric rows in several up to one hundred. The outer tentacles are more significant than the inner ones and end in stinging balls called microspheres.
The coloring is most varied. There are red, fuchsia, green, yellow, and orange… and they form colonies of the same color made up of genetically identical individuals.
Jewel Anemone Biology
Corynactis viridis feeds on zooplankton washed up by rough water.
Reproduction can be sexual, but when the little ones attach themselves to a rock, they multiply longitudinally, giving rise to clones and forming spots of anemones of the same color that can have several meters in area.
Habitat and distribution of Corynactis viridis
The jewel anemone lives in the infralittoral strip, from the low part of the tides to about 80 meters deep. Look for shady, rough water crevices or rocky ledges.
We can find it in the European Atlantic from the British Isles and the English Channel to the Mediterranean, where it becomes scarcer due to the temperature of the water.
taxonomic classification
Kingdom: Animal; Phylum: Cnidaria; class: Zoantharia (Hexacorallia); order: Corallimorpharia; family: Corallimorphidae; genus: Corynactis species: Viridis.
What is the jewel anemone called in other languages?
English : jewel anemone; French : anémone-bijou
