''Urticina columbiana'', common names crusty red anemone, Columbia sand anemone, sand anemone, and the sand-rose anemone, is a

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

of sea anemone in the

family Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Idea ...

Actiniidae Actiniidae is the largest family of sea anemones, to which most common, temperate, shore species belong. Most members of this family do not participate in symbioses with fishes. Three exceptions are the bubble-tip anemone (with anemonefish and ...

Description

This species can grow to 25 cm high and can reach a diameter of 1 metre, making it one of the largest species of anemone. The tentacles are long and slender, taking the shape of a red column. The tubercles on the column are big and rough, having a white colour. They are organized in circular rows which protrude from the column. Unlike other species which may accumulate matter, the tubercles do not attach to ocean debris such as bits of shell. The column is red in colour. No special spherules are present around the external rim of the oral disk beyond the tentacles.

Distribution

''Urticina columbiana'' species occurs in the Pacific Ocean from

Vancouver Island Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest by ...

Baja California Baja California (; 'Lower California'), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Baja California), is a state in Mexico. It is the northernmost and westernmost of the 32 federal entities of Mex ...

Habitat

This species is found between the subtidal zone to a depth of 45 metres. It normally lives among shells, in soft sand or mud. It is usually partially buried, with tubercles mostly under the sea floor.

Symbionts

The candy stripe shrimp (''Lebbeus grandimanus'') is one of the symbionts of this species.

References

*Kozloff, Eugene N., 1987. Marine Invertebrates of the Pacific Northwest. University of Washington Press, Seattle, WA. 511 pp. *Harbo, Rick M., 1999, 2011. Whelks to Whales: Coastal Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. Harbour Publishing, Madeira Park, BC, Canada. Paperback, 245 pp. . *Lamb, Andy and Bernard P. Hanby, 2005. Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest. A Photographic Encyclopedia of Invertebrates, Seaweeds and Selected Fishes. 398 pp. Harbour Publishing. .

External links

Image
of ''Urticina columbiana'' eating a California Scorpionfish (''Scorpaena guttata'') Actiniidae Animals described in 1922 {{Actiniaria-stub