Hermit Crab Anemone - Calliactis parasitica
Calliactis parasitica is a species of sea anemone associated with hermit crabs. It lives in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at depths between the intertidal zone and 60 m (200 ft). It is up to 10 cm × 8 cm (3.9 in × 3.1 in) large, with up to 700 tentacles, and is highly variable in color. The relationship between C. parasitica and the hermit crab is mutualistic: the sea anemone protects the hermit crab with its stings and benefits from the food thrown into the air by the hermit crab’s movements.
Description
Calliactis parasitica is up to 100 millimeters (3.9 in) tall and 80 mm (3.1 in) wide, with the base of the column slightly wider. The surface of the column is rough and leathery with a grainy appearance, but it has no tubercles and is not divided into sections. It has a variable color, but is usually cream or buff in color, with spots and streaks of reddish or greyish brown, which tend to form vertical stripes.
Distribution
Calliactis parasitica is found in the northeast Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Its Atlantic range extends from south-western Europe as far north as the western coasts of Wales and Ireland, and the English Channel. Although this species has been recorded in the southern North Sea, such records are considered doubtful. The depth distribution of C. parasitica varies from a depth of 60 meters (200 ft) to the sublittoral zone; it is rarely found in the coastal area.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calliactis_parasitica
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