Stichodactyla mertensii

Identification: tentacles of variable length, the inner ones around the mouth much longer (50 to 80 mm) than the marginal ones (6 to 12 mm), a feature unique among carpet anemones; all finger-like, mostly brown or green. The pale column bears orange, red or purple verrucae in rows, and spots of the same colour down its whole length. Tentacle-free zone around the mouth 20 to 50 mm wide. Weak column muscles keep it from retracting fully. S. gigantea and S. haddoni live in sand; Radianthus magnifica has longer tentacles and a cylindrical, brightly coloured column.

In the wild it is the only carpet anemone draped prominently over hard substrate on fore reefs, its small foot fixed in a crevice into which it can withdraw, slowly. Clownfish living in it may turn melanistic: in several species the body changes from orange to black within hours of contact with a Stichodactyla. Amphiprion fuscocaudatus and A. latifasciatus live only with it.

Status: not evaluated by the IUCN, not CITES-listed. It appears in the trade (Quality Marine offers it). Fautin and Allen advise against collecting host anemones, which survive poorly in captivity and are replaced slowly.