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Anemones M-Z

McPeak's Urticina

Urticina mcpeaki

   
(1: Arch Point, Santa Barbara Island / 2: West of Santa Barbara Island / 3: Sea Landing Cove, Santa Barbara Island / 4: Flame Reef, Santa Cruz Island)

Moonglow Anemone

Anthopleura artemisia

       
(1: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2: Coral Street, Monterey / 3,5,8: Lovers Point, Monterey / 4,6-7: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

Usually orange, but sometimes pink or off-white.

These fluoresce under UV light:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

Painted Anemone

Urticina crassicornis

(1: Monastery Beach, Carmel-By-The-Sea)

Painted Urticina

Urticina grebelnyi

       
(1-3,5,8: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 4: Coral Street, Monterey / 6-7: Monastery Beach, Carmel-By-The-Sea)

The side of the anemone is mottled red and olive and bumpy (vs. red for the fish-eating urticina and white spots on red for the white-spotted rose anemone, and vs. a smooth body for Urticina crassicornis).

Plumose Anemone

Metridium senile

       
(1-8: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

Look for these by the pier.

Usually white, but occasionally orange:
(1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

Proliferating Anemone

Epiactis prolifera

       
(1-3,6-7: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 4-5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 8: Monastery Beach, Carmel-By-The-Sea)

Note the budding smaller anemones hanging off the parents in the second photo.

Sand-Rose Anemone

Urticina columbiana

       
(1-2,4,7-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 3,5: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 6: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos)

These are large - up to a foot across.

This one is pulled in:
 
(1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

Stubby Rose Anemone

Urticina coriacea

    
(1,5: Whalers Cove, Point Lobos / 2-4: Monastery Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea)

The stalk is pale red with white bumps:
(1: Monastery Beach, Carmel-by-the-Sea)

Stubby Rose Anemone

Urticina clandestina

   
(1-3: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

The literature is unclear on whether this and Urticina coriacea are actually the same species.

Tube-Dwelling Anemone

Pachycerianthus fimbriatus

       
(1,4-6,8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 2-3: Monterey State Beach, Monterey / 7: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos)

This anemone lives on the sandy bottom.  Tentacle color can be tan, orange, or purple.  These are preyed upon by the rainbow dendronotus nudibranch. 

Some tube-dwelling anemones fluoresce under UV light:

 
(1-2: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

There's a lot more of the anemone under the sand.  This is one that was exposed by sand movement during winter storms:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

White-Plumed Anemone

Metridium farcimen

       
(1-3,5-8: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 4: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

Despite being over a foot long, they can pull all the way back into themselves:
  
(1-3: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

They can reproduce by budding:
(1: San Carlos Beach, Monterey)

I saw this orange one November 2015:
(1: Monterey State Beach, Monterey)

These do not fluoresce.

White-Spotted Rose Anemone

Urticina lofotensis

       
(1,4,7-8: Whaler's Cove, Point Lobos / 2: East Pescadero Pinnacle, Pebble Beach / 4-5: San Carlos Beach, Monterey / 7: Monastery Beach, Carmel-By-The-Sea)

White-spotted refers to the stalk, not the tentacles.