sea anemones text index | photo index
Phylum Cnidaria > Class Anthozoa > Subclass Zoantharia/Hexacorallia > Order Actiniaria
White peachia anemone
Metapeachia tropica
Family Haloclavidae
updated Dec 2024

Where seen? This small burrowing anemone has a few fat tentacles that spread out flat on the surface. It is seen on some of our shores, especially in sheltered sandy areas. It is small and usually retracted into the sand at low tide so it may actually be quite common but overlooked.

Features: Diameter with tentacles expanded 4-5cm. One ring of 16 tentacles that are thick at the base and tapering at the tips. It has a cream-coloured body column. It is usually seen with its tentacles flat on the surface, spaced out equally so that the anemone resembles a star. The oral disk and tentacles often have V-shaped chevron patterns in shades of white, pink, beige and brown. A structure of 3-5 bumps in the middle of the mouth that sometimes protrudes out of the mouth called a conchula. At low tide it tucks its tentacles into its body column so the animal resembles a white striped blob.

Sometimes mistaken for Brown peachia anemone (Synpeachia temasek) which has a reddish-brown column, 20 tentacles, and a conchula. An 'uprooted' Peachia anemone is often mistaken for a sea cucumber or a worm. Here's more on how to tell apart sausage-like creatures.

Status and threats: As at 2024, it is assessed not to be approaching the criteria for being listed among the threatened animals in Singapore. 

Sisters Island, May 08

Bumps in the middle of the mouth

With tentacles tucked in.
Sisters Island, Dec 08

'Uprooted' anemone.
Changi, Nov 07

Bumps on a 'column' in the middle of the mouth.
Changi, Jun 11

Eating a crab?
Changi, Apr 08

Sisters Island, Jul 07

Pasir Ris, Jul 09

Cyrene Reef, May 10

White peachia anemones on Singapore shores
On wildsingapore flickr

Other sightings on Singapore shores


Beting Bronok, Jun 16
Photo shared by Ivan Kwan on facebook.

East Coast Park, Feb 16
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on flickr.


Berlayar Creek, Oct 15
Photo shared by Marcus Ng on facebook.

Sentosa Serapong, May 24
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook.

Kusu Island, Apr 17
Photo shared by Choo Yi Feng on facebook.


Pulau Semakau, Nov 07
Photo shared by Lin Juanhui on her flickr

Pulau Semakau South, Oct 18
Photo shared by Chong SiewMin on facebook.

Pulau Semakau South, Oct 20
Photo shared by Loh Kok Sheng on facebook.


Terumbu Bemban, Aug 23
Photo shared by Che Cheng Neo on facebook.

Terumbu Pempang Tengah, Mar 16
Photo shared by Marcus Ng on facebook.


Pulau Sudong, Dec 09
Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on her flickr.

Pulau Sudong, Dec 09
Photo shared by Toh Chay Hoon on her flickr.

Pulau Pawai, Dec 09
Photo shared by James Koh on his flickr.

Links

References

  • Checklist of Cnidaria (non-Sclerectinia) Species with their Category of Threat Status for Singapore by Yap Wei Liang Nicholas, Oh Ren Min, Iffah Iesa in G.W.H. Davidson, J.W.M. Gan, D. Huang, W.S. Hwang, S.K.Y. Lum, D.C.J. Yeo, 2024. The Singapore Red Data Book: Threatened plants and animals of Singapore. 3rd edition. National Parks Board. 258 pp.
  • Nicholas Wei Liang Yap, Daphne Gail Fautin, Dino Angelo Ramos, and Ria Tan (2014) Sea anemones of Singapore: Synpeachia temasek new genus, new species, and redescription of Metapeachia tropica (Cnidaria: Actiniaria: Haloclavidae). Proceedings of the Biological Society of Washington: October 2014, Vol. 127, No. 3, pp. 439-454.
  • Erhardt, Harry and Daniel Knop. 2005. Corals: Indo-Pacific Field Guide IKAN-Unterwasserachiv, Frankfurt. 305 pp.
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