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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
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Bumps on a 'column' in the middle of the mouth.
Changi, Jun 11
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Eating a crab?
Changi, Apr 08
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Sisters Island, Jul 07 |
Pasir Ris, Jul 09 |
Cyrene Reef, May 10 |
White peachia
anemones on Singapore shores |
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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