Purple crispa

They are mags, definitely no malu or BTA

BTW: They also have a few of this kind, just in case someone is crazy enough to put these into their tank...

763746356_gAV5Y-L.jpg

that's a nice looking nem.. Hellfire? I have 1 in my tank but it's much smaller and less colorful.. all red
 
I was at Aquatic Collections today and while there ran into Rich Ross. So I asked him what he thought this anemone was .After a short inspection he determined it's a magnifica.

attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


attachment.php


It has brown tentacles with bright green tips and a magenta column.
I was tempted to take it home, but this was the one with a hole in its foot, so I rather passed. Though it seems otherwise healthy.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20160213_142451498-1.jpg
    IMG_20160213_142451498-1.jpg
    105.6 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_20160213_152143090-1.jpg
    IMG_20160213_152143090-1.jpg
    37.2 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_20160213_152754068-1.jpg
    IMG_20160213_152754068-1.jpg
    103.8 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_20160213_152533725-1.jpg
    IMG_20160213_152533725-1.jpg
    69.5 KB · Views: 1
  • IMG_20160213_152641130-1.jpg
    IMG_20160213_152641130-1.jpg
    65.7 KB · Views: 1
There are multiple tentacles with rings on them. How bug is that anemone? If it is less than 6 inches it is not a Magnifica but a Malu
 
I had a close look at those "rings" and they are not rings but aberrant markings in the form of short stripes. They don't go around the tentacle and there are only 2 or 3 tentacles that have this. Also there is no ring on the base where the tentacles go into the oral disk.

I also can't see how size would be a measure as there are most certainly magnificas which are at some stage in their live smaller than 6 inch in diameter. I doubt they just materialize fully grown out of nowhere.

Also, it would be totally new to me that malus have green tips. Purple, yes, green, no.

Column and verrucae placement also match a magnifica.

Finally, if a guy who studied this and made it his living (and saw it in person) says this is a magnifica, then I believe it's a magnifica.
 
Magnifica have verracues that are the same color as the column and can be difficult to see. They don't have verracues that are white like the ones in the pictures. Malu don't always have rings but when they do it is the possitive ID characteristic for them
 
They are not really white, just lighter, which is within the range for a magnifica.
Fautin states: "Column is with longitudinal rows of translucent verrucae same colour as column or slightly lighter or darker."

More important than the color is the arrangement and number of the verrucae. Malus have much more and they are in less neat rows.

And again, I've never seen a malu with green tips, but that is quite common for magnificas.

Also the entire texture of the tentacles and column are not right for a malu. This one feels more like a manifica.
 
Here is a picture of the clumn of my Malu, and a picture of the tentacles of the same anemone. As you can see, they are very similar, other than the color. Mine is a male, about 5 inches in the pictures below. As you can see the verrucae structures and placement is virtually the same as the anemones we are talking about. So is the look of the tentacles. I will post pictures of tentacles of small Magnifica after I search for them from my pictures.

IMG_5371_original.jpg


IMG_5366_original.jpg
 
Tentacles of my small Magnifica. Notice the different in tentacle tips. Blunted with the very tip the same size or bigger than the main part of the tentacles
picture.php


IMG_0451.jpg
 
Last edited:
H. malu can have no bands on their tentacles or a lot of bands. Here is a picture from the net that show the bands of Malu. As you can see. The pictures of the anemone we are talking about have the same band structures and look. Just not as much.

attachment.php


To no bands

2009-10-23%2007.59.08.jpg
 

Attachments

  • heteractis_sp_purple.jpg
    heteractis_sp_purple.jpg
    53.6 KB · Views: 1
Last edited:
Here are pictures of H. magnifica verrucae that I got from the net. Notice that other than the color these verrucae are not raised from the column. They are the same color of the column, just darker. I have seen Magnifica with verrucae that is the same color of the column. In these cases the verracae are very difficult to see, to the point that many Mag seem to have no verrucae. Other case, the verrucae are darker as in the pictures below. I have not seen any that have lighter color verrucae. This does not mean that it does not exist.

attachment.php


attachment.php
 

Attachments

  • Mag verrucae.jpg
    Mag verrucae.jpg
    33.3 KB · Views: 1
  • Mag verrucae2.jpg
    Mag verrucae2.jpg
    93 KB · Views: 1
There is absolutely no way that these anemones are H. magnifca. If you say that these anemone are 8 inches or more then they are not H. malu, but they all seem to be small. The only reason I am not a 100% sure is the color of the column. I have never seen a Malu (even on line) with that color column before.
 
I had a close look at those "rings" and they are not rings but aberrant markings in the form of short stripes. They don't go around the tentacle and there are only 2 or 3 tentacles that have this. Also there is no ring on the base where the tentacles go into the oral disk.

I also can't see how size would be a measure as there are most certainly magnificas which are at some stage in their live smaller than 6 inch in diameter. I doubt they just materialize fully grown out of nowhere.

Also, it would be totally new to me that malus have green tips. Purple, yes, green, no.

Column and verrucae placement also match a magnifica.

Finally, if a guy who studied this and made it his living (and saw it in person) says this is a magnifica, then I believe it's a magnifica.

Malus certainly come in green tipped versions.
 
Well mine moved off the rock and into sand. At least it's trying to. The gap he moved into is a pretty long narrow drop so he has to stand on his tippy toes to get his tents above the rock.
 
Back
Top