(Gosse, 1856)
Description
Length of column rarely exceeding 25 mm, and up to 4 mm diameter.
Column elongated, but relatively less so than in other edwardsiids; divided into scapus and scapulus. Scapus with dense periderm which ends raggedly below, usually revealing the rounded aboral end which is a little wider than the rest of the column. At the distal end the periderm may form a loose tube into which the anemone can retract. Scapulus well-defined, slightly polygonal due to thickening of the body wall between the macrocnemes.
Tentacles: Long, up to 36, typically 28 with six in the primary cycle, these being the longest.
Colouration: The whole anemone is translucent pale orange, with white or yellow markings on the scapulus and a powdering of white or yellow on the disc. The deep orange actinopharynx is visible through the translucent wall of the scapulus.
Habitat
This pretty little anemone occurs in holes and crevices amongst rocks, particularly the empty, or even occupied, borings of piddocks. It is found in sheltered places out of the light, such as beneath overhangs or in caves, often forming large local populations. When exposed by the receding tide the tentacles are retracted leaving only the white or yellow tip of the introverted scapulus visible; thus it may prove difficult to find and is frequently overlooked, although common in some areas. It occurs from about MTL to shallow water offshore.
Distribution
Recorded from all coasts of Britain but is most common in the south and west. Elsewhere it is known from south Scandinavia and north France and may extend to the Mediterranean (Edwardsia janthina Andres, 1881, may be referable to this species).