Help me ID anemone

humphreyhh

New member
Hi all.

I need some ideas to ID my anemone.

1. It was sold as lta.
2. Its foot is very light brown, almost white (no red/orange color on its foot like ltas usually have). It has patterned dots close to the oral disc (the only thing tells me it's a lta).
3. Its tentacles are kinda short (too short for my taste of a lta), mildly sticky, and has blue-purple tips.
4. It does not bury its foot. I introduced him into my tank by burying its foot by a rock. It escaped. Now it is by the rock and attached to the edge of it. It was on a high rock in LFS.
5. It eats and behaves normally. It hosts my clownfish which makes me happy.

Could it just be a different kind of lta? Any ideas? I got it about two months ago, its now 5 inches wide. Thanks.
455e114a9eea00b045acc82f2795f63e.jpg
fa959acb2bfc5eba86044433787357d2.jpg


Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
I don't think an LTA would attach to the rock . I am interested in others thoughts on this.

Sent from my SM-S920L using Tapatalk
 
I thought it was sebae too but its tentacles are not as many as sebaes. This is anther thing making it look like a lta, but not convincing enough.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I think most would consider it to be a mildly unhappy H. crispa.
Anemones like yours are not uncommon. They posses traits of both H. crispa and H. malu.
Typically, H. crispa has much more tentacles per square inch, and the tentacles are more uniform across the oral disk. Tentacle counts have reached 800. H. malu has the sparse tentacles and shorter tentacles in the center, with larger tentacles around the perimeter. Similar to what you see in this anemone.
H. crispa has a very large, and leathery column and pedal disk. Which is why one of the names it goes by is "Leathery sea anemone". H. malu has a much smaller, and more delicate column and pedal disk.
Anemones like yours, IMHO, don't quite fit the description of either of these anemones, while having traits of both. I believe this is an area needing much more research. Perhaps genetic work will help. MAYBE, this is a hybrid of H. malu and H. crispa??? MAYBE it's a species of its own?????
I have kept and worked with several individuals like this, and have never been satisfied with a proper ID. They seem to be relatively easy to care for though.
It is not a LTA/ M. doreensis
There is no such thing as a "Sebae" anemone. This is just a name the industry gives to anemones when they don't have a proper ID. I've seen multiple species sold as "Sebae anemones".
HTH
Peace
EC
 
I think most would consider it to be a mildly unhappy H. crispa.
Anemones like yours are not uncommon. They posses traits of both H. crispa and H. malu.
Typically, H. crispa has much more tentacles per square inch, and the tentacles are more uniform across the oral disk. Tentacle counts have reached 800. H. malu has the sparse tentacles and shorter tentacles in the center, with larger tentacles around the perimeter. Similar to what you see in this anemone.
H. crispa has a very large, and leathery column and pedal disk. Which is why one of the names it goes by is "Leathery sea anemone". H. malu has a much smaller, and more delicate column and pedal disk.
Anemones like yours, IMHO, don't quite fit the description of either of these anemones, while having traits of both. I believe this is an area needing much more research. Perhaps genetic work will help. MAYBE, this is a hybrid of H. malu and H. crispa??? MAYBE it's a species of its own?????
I have kept and worked with several individuals like this, and have never been satisfied with a proper ID. They seem to be relatively easy to care for though.
It is not a LTA/ M. doreensis
HTH
Peace
EC
Thank you very much for your answer!

Yes I didn't think it's lta too when I got it, it doesn't look like one to me. [emoji16]

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
Interesting information about "sebae" name. When you try to research them it seems sebae, crispa, malu are all mixed in together. Perhaps not as much info on them as the more popular anemones.
 
Yep "sebae" is such a magical name. 🤔 I saw Petco put sebae on any anemone if it's not lta, condy or bta. I sometimes use sebae to refer to crispa though.

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
I don't think it's a long tentacle, how long has it been in your tank?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Help me ID anemone

If it's been there for a long time and it's settled and happy then it could be a Malu or a crispa could you post some better pics of the base with more bright white light ? :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
If it's been there for a long time and it's settled and happy then it could be a Malu or a crispa could you post some better pics of the base with more bright white light ? :)


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
It's been staying there since I got it, never moved except moved out of the sandbed.

My light just turned off by the timer so I took this picture under some natural light from a window close by. Does it help?

It closes up like this for a short period of time whenever the main light turns off.

Its base is very whitish with dotted spots on it.
7d0eca81026d569bd6abd9e5ea8b26e8.jpg


Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
That's cool my long tentacles do the same exact thing when lights go off they ball up a but my Malus and crispas never did that [emoji848]


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I was thinking of crispa when I saw it in petstore but it also looks like lta.....anyway since it seems to be doing fine in my tank and hosting my clownfish. What else can I ask for? 😁

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Tapatalk
 
Back
Top