Worm or Anemone & Symbiosis info?

[lanwu]

Hi, looking for a few things:

1. Is this one a worm or an anemone?
2. the name of the worm/anemone?
3. How does it co-habitate w/ the fish in the pic? Is it that the fish depend on the stinging tenticals to avoid preditors?

ps. this was taken in the Philippines from the province of Palawan on the eastern coast at a place called CocoLoco....

 

[archman]

That's an anemone, very likely a tube-dwelling cerianthid anemone. Not being so smart with the Pacific faunas, I can't help you much more than that. Fish that hang out with anemones usually produce tons of slime to ward off getting stung, and usually avoid the anemones that sting the worst.

Somebody else with better info will chime in soon enough, just you see.

 

[maractwin]

Yes, it's a cerianthid anemone.

I'm not aware of any fish that live symbiotically with them. They've got a much stronger sting than the family of anemones inhabited by clownfish. In the picture, the fish are some distance from the anemone rather than nestling amongst the tentacles.

-Mark

 

[lanwu]

Great! Thanks for the replies

 

[archman]

You don't have any better pictures of those fish do you? I'm curious to know what they are.

 

[lanwu]

Nope....sorry bout that....the Anemone was the main subject here...i'll check the duds though....

Did you notice that there's 2 other fish around the base?

 

[archman]

Did you notice that there's 2 other fish around the base?

No. Can you upload a higher resolution picture, or zoom in?

 

[lanwu]

No. Can you upload a higher resolution picture, or zoom in?

SUre...sorry....been a bit busy lately...But thanks for all your answers everyone.

 

[maractwin]

Hmm... the group of fish off to the side look like damsels. The only damsels commonly found living symbiotically with anemones are dominos (Dascyllus trimaculatus). Those in the pic look like Amblypomacentrus clarus. I doubt that they were living in the anemone.

The two by the base are probably juvenile wrasses or parrots. Again I've never heard of them living in anemones, this was probably just the best shelter in the area. Tube anemones don't make great shelter as when bothered, they will withdraw into their tube, leaving any fish who had been hiding there out in the open.

-Mark

 

[archman]

Hmm... the group of fish off to the side look like damsels. The only damsels commonly found living symbiotically with anemones are dominos (Dascyllus trimaculatus).

You're neglecting the entire anemonefish group! Oh the humanity...