Can you Id this beauty?

[Janice]

Hi,
I've searched and searched and can't seem to ID this beauty. Someone in my reef club put it up for trade but wont wont/can't give any informaiton about it. Some say Orange ball anemone, glass anemone???

Thank you.
J

[Lynn]

Hi Janice and welcome to the forums!

Yep, that looks like a Pseudocorynactis species of some sort...aka an orange ball anemone. They're corallimorphs instead of actual anemones, and the one photographed is likely an Indo-Pacific variety. See this link for more information: Link

-Lynn

[Lynn]

Hmmm, just got your query over at WWM...and saw that you mentioned that it might be a cold water species. If that's the case, then it could be a Corynactis species instead. Any idea what the size is? It sure would be nice to know where it came from, but I see from your query that the person selling/trading it won't say.
Photos/some info:
http://www.scuba-equipment-usa.com/marine/DEC04/Jewel_Anemone(Corynactis_australis).html
http://actiniaria.com/corynactis_viridis.php

By the way, I'll be writing and sending your WWM reply as soon as I get through here, but it'll pretty much be the same answer!

Take care,

-Lynn

[Janice]

Hy Lynn,
I'm sorry for the redundancy in posts. But if you haven't replied to the one of WWB please don't bother. This reply is good enough. I wrote in my other post that it looked like a cold water anemone to me but that was just based on the picture. I have no detailed information about the speciman. The person wanting to trade it for a RBTA would not reply to queries requesting more information and details.

Thank you so much!
J

[Clownfish518]

FWIW Corrillamorphs are very close relatives of anemones in the scheme of things

[Lynn]

No worries, Janice! About the person not responding, that's never a good sign, is it?! Oh well, hopefully whoever does trade for it, knows what they're getting! They're beautiful, no doubt about it, but some of those Pseudocorynactis spp. can get up to ~6" across and Dean (Clownfish518) is correct, although they're not anemones, they're darn close. Those tips are sticky and can trap a fish no problem. The good news is that most fish know enough to stay away from anemone or anemone-like animals! Then again, there's always that one careless idiot....! I have a hippo tang that would qualify for that title. He's so bold and curious that he'd swim right over and check it out - too closely, or would dart right into it, accidentally. He's always getting into something or bugging someone and usually bears the marks for a day or two to prove it! The funny thing is that he's so bold about most things, but is a total fraidy cat about everything else. All I have to do is get anywhere within a couple of feet with my camera (no flash) and you'd think I'd just let a great white loose in the tank!

Take care and have a great weekend! If there's anything else we can do for you, please let us know!

-Lynn


For the rest of the folks, here's my reply for WWM (should be posted into the FAQ's section sometime soon):

Subject: Please ID This Anemone: Corallimorph - Likely Pseudocorynactis sp. – 10/8/09
Hi,
<Hi Jan, Lynn here today.>
First let me say that your site is my marine bible.
<Thanks! Bob has indeed put together quite a wealth of knowledge!>
I browse here before anywhere else. Thank you for being here.
<It’s our pleasure.>
Someone in my reef club put this gorgeous anemone up for trade http://i210.photobucket.com/albums/bb66/janvl07/unkownanemone.jpg
I think it's a cold water anemone, but my knowledge is limited.
<Hopefully, it’s not a cold water species in a reef tank! It looks like what’s commonly called an orange ball anemone, although these are actually Corallimorphs (like mushrooms – Rhodactis, Ricordea, etc.) instead of anemones. The individual photographed is either a species in the genus Corynactis (usually small, tends to live in cold/cooler waters), or Pseudocorynactis (a more tropical variety, can get fairly large). This individual is more likely of the latter genus. For more information, please see the following link: http://www.advancedaquarist.com/issues/oct2002/invert.htm
No one knows where it's from and what it is.
<Hopefully, this information will help. By the way, it’s been noted that the larger Pseudocorynactis spp. individuals can pose a threat to fish, so beware. I don’t know the size of the one photographed, but it looks fairly large. The hitchhiking individuals we most commonly see are the species Pseudocorynactis caribbaeorum. They're usually very small and fairly innocuous. They also tend to open mostly at night although over time, some will adapt and remain open during the day. You can find more information within WWM's faq's regarding these beautiful little corallimorphs.>
The person that had it up for trade won’t tell anyone where it's from.
<He/she might not know.>
Thank you.
<You’re very welcome!>
Best regards,
Jan
<Take care, LynnZ>

[MMaddox]

Beautiful! Wonder where I could get my hands on one? Although I guess I don't really need *another* species tank...