'blue anemone' and damsels

[larkinvalley]

Here is one of Dahab's featured items, shown to the divers with a special gest of pride:
http://p.foto.radikal.ru/0702/a468a6482bdft.jpg (http://foto.radikal.ru/f.aspx?p0702a468a6482bdfjpg)

it really looks blue; what surprised me was a seemingly warm relationship between it and a few damsels around...

what's it called and does it really host damsels? it looked really blue.

[Ron Popeil]

looks like Macrodactyla doreensis, or long tentacled anemone. that color is great, i wonder what depth that picture was taken?

and yes, its common for domino damsels to hang in or around anemones for protection as juveniles, less so as they mature.

[larkinvalley]

thanks, Ron,

depth was 15 meters, but flash has been used, so colors are accurate; it looked much deeper blue in reality due lack of reds.

I wonder if it is just a mechanical protection or does it really sting but damsels are insensitive, etc?

[Ron Popeil]

damsels and clownfish are very closely related. i wouldnt be surprised if they have some of the exact same chemical/physical protections as clownfish, that perhaps they grow out of as they age, or maintain their entire lives just cease to use.

[larkinvalley]

well, yes, same family; I wonder how badly this anemone stings... Although as I am saying this, I am not sure how badly sting regular anemones - would i feel it if I try?

[Ron Popeil]

oh oh oh right. um...i dont rightly know. ive handled several LTAs and never been stung by one. my heteractis magnificas will leave welts on my upper arms for several days and it definetely feels like a sting. several of them.

[larkinvalley]

I see. What's LTA? Also: what we dont feel like a sting is possibly quite a sting for a tiny lonely fish in a big ocean... :)

[Ron Popeil]

LTA - Long Tentacled Anemone (macrodactyla doreensis)

[COreefer]

Dahab Egypt correct??? I never noticed a LTA in the redsea...many H. Crispa...I could be wrong. I just have never seen them, especially in the Dahab/Sharm area.

[larkinvalley]

Exactly, and what strikes me is that when I google that doreensis thing, it says they dwell in Indo-Pacifica, but not Red Sea...

[Ron Popeil]

i could certainly be wrong, it just doesnt look like any of the crispas ive ever seen....

[larkinvalley]

what supports Ron's guess, is that corkscrew shape of tentacle tips in my picture; google says LTA is also called corkscrew tipped anemone.

[COreefer]

Here's a shot I took while in Dahab..at first I thought it was an LTA, but it is definitely H. Crispa. Could your pic be a LTA?? Possible, but they are not indigenous to the RS...particularly the north RS.



http://i176.photobucket.com/albums/w188/elichaa/crispa.jpg

[larkinvalley]

is there any trait which helps to tell the two apart?

[COreefer]

underneath the oral disc and the foot would tell for sure, but the fact LTA's aren't found in the RS is pretty definitive. LTA's are also sand dwellers and it appears that one is also using rock. Anyone know of any reports of M. Doreensis found in the north Red Sea??

[COreefer]

dbl post

[Amphiprion]

Based on appearance and locational data, I would have to say H. crispa. COReefer, I agree that is 100% undoubtedly H. crispa--even if you didn't know the location, I would think the sheer tentacle density would give it away.

[larkinvalley]

it was not just a rock, it was in the niche on a rocky wall (site caled Bells);

does H. crispa have a very high tent. density compared to LTA?

[larkinvalley]

here they say everything about how not to confuse the two species; it also says that association with D. trimac is typical!

http://www.edge-of-reef.com/anemoni/ESAHeteractiscrispaen.htm

[COreefer]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9164829#post9164829 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by larkinvalley
it was not just a rock, it was in the niche on a rocky wall (site caled Bells);


yeah I know the Bells...Bells to Blue Hole is a great dive!!

[larkinvalley]

oh, yeah, this entire wall - so rich! could you give me any interesting read links on H. crispa and/or other anemones? thank you.

[COreefer]

Here you go..

http://www.carlosreef.com/AnemoneFAQ.pdf

[MarinaP]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9164759#post9164759 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Amphiprion
Based on appearance and locational data, I would have to say H. crispa.

Yes.

I cannot seem to find more pics or the name of the poster, the site is in Russian, which is my first language :confused:

[larkinvalley]

pardon? which site?

[MarinaP]

http://foto.radikal.ru/f.aspx?p0702a468a6482bdfjpg

[larkinvalley]

yes, that's the picture server hosting i use; i am not sure i took any more pics of it... why? and i am also not sure about the 'poster name' part - do I need to give my name here? please explain.

in any case, thanks to COreefer for Anemone FAQ link - and since you re probably the author of this FAQ - thanks to you, too, MarinaP

[MarinaP]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9165561#post9165561 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by larkinvalley
do I need to give my name here? please explain.

in any case, thanks to COreefer for Anemone FAQ link - and since you re probably the author of this FAQ - thanks to you, too, MarinaP

No. you don't need to give your name, but we like to meet folks here on RC. Especially the ones with interest in anemones and good photography skills :)

And you are welcome.

[larkinvalley]

now i get it :)

my name is Ilya Kolmanovsky, I live in Moscow, scubadive twice a year and drool over other people's tanks the rest of the time.

[MarinaP]

<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9165708#post9165708 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by larkinvalley
I live in Moscow
I used to live there, too :)

[welcome]

[larkinvalley]

ok, thanks for greeting.

now, back to H. crispa. Is such an intense azure color typical? what does it depend on? algae?

[MarinaP]

Not typical.

Who knows? Algea, light, pH.....

[larkinvalley]

is it possible that pH varies from place to place? :)

[COreefer]

I don't know what the PH is around Dahab, it's probably 8.2, 8.3, but I do know that the water around Dahab has a pretty high specific gravity...like .027-.028, also the water temp is rather cool compared to Indo-Pacific temps. 74-75 degress Farenheit. I doubt these play a factor though, because many places around the world, you can find extremely nice colored anemones. Looks to me like you just stumbled upon a couple of brilliantly colored anemones.

One other factor to consider is this...light penetration. The RS isn't know for 100 ft (30M) visibility, so if this nem was in a shallow area, then it is plausible that it receives intense light, helping bring out the color. Look at my pic for instance...that nem is not as brilliantly colored, but the pic was taken at around 20M and it is under a ledge. Something to consider I guess.

[JER-Z]

i have one that looks just like it...i found it at an LFS and got it for $30 i thought it was an excellent find...

i started a thread on it a while back and everyone thought it was bleached...

however it is eating like a horse and still holding the same color....

[COreefer]

^^^^PICS!!!

[JER-Z]

http://www.reefcentral.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1011556

i have had it for a month now and so far so good...i'll take some updated pics tonight and post them in that thread

this pic was taken about a month ago...i'll get one more recent tonight
http://i51.photobucket.com/albums/f365/wesfew/blueLTAweb.jpg

[COreefer]

That one is a LTA..but nice nevertheless, especially if it is darkening as it appears in your thread.

[JER-Z]

oh ok, it curls up it's tentacles like the one in the first pic...

i thought that is a tell tale sign of an LTA aka "curly-q anemone"

ill get a new pic and update it is big time curly these days...and yes the color is looking better but still holding that brilliant blue