Beaded sea anemone

Description:

Both the tentacles and oral disc of Heteractis aurora are brown or purplish. The tentacles reach 50 mm in length, may be sticky when touched, and can have tips of a magenta colouration. The longer tentacles contain swellings. These appear on only on a single side, or almost entirely surrounding the tentacle, giving the appearance of beads on a string. A maximum of 20 such swellings may occur on any single tentacle. This species has a broad, flattened oral disc reaching 250 mm wide, and may have white or brown markings that radiate from the centre, and even continue up and along the tentacles.

Habitat:

Heteractis aurora occurs in Micronesia as well as in Melanesia to East Africa. It is also present in the Red Sea, and in Australia to the Ryukyu Islands.This species lives among coral, and along rocky reef edges and on slopes, normally in areas with strong currents. They attach themselves to a surface, and remain partially buried in sediment or sand. When threatened, they may retract entirely out of view into the substrate. Associated fish include A. akindynos, A. allardi, A. bicinctus, A. chrysogaster, A. chrysopterus, A. clarkii, A. tricinctus