Diet

• Anthopleura dowii is a carnivorous sea anemone that captures small marine animals with its tentacles and nematocysts.

• Its potential prey includes small crustaceans, molluscs, worms and other small marine invertebrates.

• Prey is immobilized by stinging cells and transported to the central mouth by the tentacles.

Range

• Anthopleura dowii occurs along the tropical and subtropical eastern Pacific coast, from Panama northward through Mexico.

• In Mexico, it has been recorded along the Pacific coast and in the Gulf of California, including Baja California and Baja California Sur.

• It is a species of the Mexican Pacific and occurs in the broader Zihua region.

Habitat

• Anthopleura dowii inhabits the intertidal zone, where it occurs on boulders, rocky substrates and in tide pools.

• It is particularly associated with protected locations such as cavities, crevices and areas beneath or between rocks where it is sheltered from direct wave action.

• It has been recorded from the water's edge to approximately 1 m depth in the southern Gulf of California.

• Individuals can contract substantially when exposed at low tide, reducing water loss while remaining attached to the substrate.

Description

• Anthopleura dowii is a medium-sized sea anemone with a column densely covered by numerous verrucae.

• The verrucae are arranged in longitudinal rows extending from the margin toward the base of the column, and they can retain small particles of sand or other debris.

• The pedal disc and column are typically olive to brown, while the verrucae and acrorhagi are whitish.

• The oral disc may be green, orange or pink around the mouth, with contrasting radial lines extending outward from the tentacle bases.

• The tentacles may be grey, purple or orange and can have a darker longitudinal stripe with orange spots along the oral surface.

• The combination of densely arranged verrucae, marginal acrorhagi and distinctive.