20 for 70

 

 

You might recall the Ten-tentacled Sea Anemones (Halcampa decemtentaculata) that we introduced in late November.  We are intrigued by the variations in color and patterning in this species, so Eric decided to put together a mosaic to make it easier to appreciate them.

 

The mosaic shows twenty individuals of this anemone species that were all photographed at the same site.  It's easy to see that some have white oral discs (the central area surrounded by the tentacles) while a few have darker oral discs.  And although all of the anemones have tentacles with interesting speckling and striping, the tentacles vary quite a bit in the proportion of pale/dark shading and in the intensity or opaqueness of the colors.

 

The details of the patterning on the oral discs are fascinating.  If you look closely, you'll see designs like mustaches, snowflakes, or lace.  To make it easier to see these patterns up close, I've uploaded a high resolution version of this mosaic to Flickr.  You can click on this link and then click on the image to see a magnified view of each anemone.  It's worth viewing this high resolution version!

 

Cadet Hand (founding director of the Bodega Marine Laboratory) first described Ten-tentacled Sea Anemones from specimens he collected in Mendocino County on 24 December 1951 — 70 years ago this month!

 

Many thanks to Eric for photographing these anemones and compiling them into this spectacular image.  Enjoy!