Which species is this carpet?

[ThRoewer]

By shape and tentacles this looks like a gigantea, but the white stripes seem unusual and rather fit a haddoni:

<iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gocdKSPqbhM?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Has anybody ever had a gig with this kind of striping?

 

[Winwood]

It's difficult to tell from just that one angle, but I'm fairly confident it's a gig from its habitat, posture, tentacle length and associating species. It could also be a mertensii, which commonly have the striations as well. I believe with a high degree of certainty, that it is not a haddoni.

 

[Yuri Barros]

Looks like S. gigantea..........


Some Merten´s have this striated pattern...........

This S. mertensii was photographed in Semakau.........Cingapore............and host Amphiprion ocellaris...........

Some anemones really trick..............

Look this one in Marshalls.........Kwajalein..........hosting A. tricinctus........

For me it is a S. haddoni..............

This one for sure is S. haddoni........

This one too..........S. haddoni........

The reasons of the striated pattern I don´t know..............

And in S. gigantea I´m not able to find a single pic................tnx for share this video..........

Very nice Percs..........

 

[D-Nak]

Looks like S. gigantea..........


Some Merten´s have this striated pattern...........

This S. mertensii was photographed in Semakau.........Cingapore............and host Amphiprion ocellaris...........

Some anemones really trick..............

Look this one in Marshalls.........Kwajalein..........hosting A. tricinctus........

For me it is a S. haddoni..............

This one for sure is S. haddoni........

This one too..........S. haddoni........

The reasons of the striated pattern I don´t know..............

And in S. gigantea I´m not able to find a single pic................tnx for share this video..........

Very nice Percs..........

I completely agree with your assessment.

This is a tough nem to ID because it doesn't have the typical identifying characteristics of a single species, but rather a mix of characteristics from different nems.

I've never seen a gig with such bold striations. However, I have seen a haddoni with very long tentacles. It makes me understand why they are in the same family.

 

[OrionN]

As is all we can do is guess and I guess S. gigantea. If he is in captivity, we can get better pictures.

 

[addictedreefer]

Unless we're prepared to say percs host haddoni in the wild, that's a gig in my book.

 

[OrionN]

Unless we're prepared to say percs host haddoni in the wild, that's a gig in my book.

You are right. I overlooked the Percula. beautiful ones at that

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Looks like S. gigantea..........


Some Merten´s have this striated pattern...........

This S. mertensii was photographed in Semakau.........Cingapore............and host Amphiprion ocellaris...........

Some anemones really trick..............

Look this one in Marshalls.........Kwajalein..........hosting A. tricinctus........

For me it is a S. haddoni..............

This one for sure is S. haddoni........

This one too..........S. haddoni........

The reasons of the striated pattern I don´t know..............

And in S. gigantea I´m not able to find a single pic................tnx for share this video..........

Very nice Percs..........

Hey, you are back....it's been a while.

 

[ThRoewer]

Looks like S. gigantea..........


Some Merten´s have this striated pattern...........

This S. mertensii was photographed in Semakau.........Cingapore............and host Amphiprion ocellaris...........

It sits on the sand and has an unevenly folded, strong and fleshy oral disk so I don't think it's a mertensii.
From the tentacle shape and the colored verrucae it also can't be a haddoni. To me this is clearly a gigantea.

Some anemones really trick..............

Look this one in Marshalls.........Kwajalein..........hosting A. tricinctus........

For me it is a S. haddoni..............

To me this one looks by the tentacle shape and rather loose tentacle pattern also clearly like a gigantea.

The following two are haddoni for sure: evenly folded and neatly tight and short tentacles.

This one for sure is S. haddoni........

This one too..........S. haddoni........

The reasons of the striated pattern I don´t know..............

And in S. gigantea I´m not able to find a single pic................tnx for share this video..........

Giganteas have more unruly and loose tentacles that are constantly moved individually in a waving motion. Best way to see this movement is when you stop the flow.

Haddonis have a more clean, tight and uniform look of their tentacles wich can only be extended and retracted but won't move like a gigantea's.
Like giganteas, haddonis are mostly found on sandy grounds or on the edge of rocks that border to sandy surfaces.

Mertensii have a rather flaccid and not folded oral disk and tentacles around the mouth are significantly longer. Also mertensi are found on hard ground, not on sand.

Very nice Percs..........

I have a pair that has the same full black front pattern like the male and another pair that looks like the female and the juvenile. Both wild Solomon pairs.

Unless we're prepared to say percs host haddoni in the wild, that's a gig in my book.

Percula in a haddoni was what I was wondering about.

So it seems giganteas can also have these striped pattern.

 

[OrionN]

It sits on the sand and has an unevenly folded, strong and fleshy oral disk so I don't think it's a mertensii.
From the tentacle shape and the colored verrucae it also can't be a haddoni. To me this is clearly a gigantea.



To me this one looks by the tentacle shape and rather loose tentacle pattern also clearly like a gigantea.

.....

I disagree with you here. To me, the tentacles and the verrucae show that this is clearly a Mertensii

 

[CoralsAddiction]

Percula in a haddoni was what I was wondering about.
/QUOTE]

I highly doubt it. My Wild Percula accepted a haddoni as a host but it took a week or so. When I added a gig, the anemone and the clown bonded instantaneously. I suppose if Haddoni was a natural host for perculas the bond would have taken much less to develop. I have seen the video you posted many many times. While the coloration and white patches caught my eye and attention I never truly considered it being something other than a gig. To me one of the stranger things was somewhat of a low flow where the anemone is located.

 

[Yuri Barros]

Look the links of these Images.........

http://www.underwaterkwaj.com/uw-misc/clowns/tricinctus-in-haddoni.htm

http://www.underwaterkwaj.com/uw-misc/clowns/Stichodactyla-haddoni.htm


One can see when the tentacles are retracted........and when they are extended..................

All Haddon´s.............

Some pictures really ressembles the tentacles of Merten´s.............

But in fact they are all Haddon´s...........


When Amphiprion tricinctus are founded hosted in Stichodactyla mertensii.................they become MELANISTICS...........

http://www.underwaterkwaj.com/uw-misc/clowns/tricinctus-in-mertensii.htm


This helps to ID the nem.............even if the ID is not too clear.......in the case of these anemones in Marshall Islands...........

In Haddon´s some old fishes become darker............but is a little bit different from the ones founded in Merten´s........

 

[phender]

FWIW, I saw a group of what were clearly gigantea in a LFS several years ago that had the bright white striping like the one in the picture. So yes, it is not common, but giganteas can have the white stripes just like haddoni and mertensii.