Cryptic Sea Anemones (Triactis producta)
These small clusters of hidden, venomous sea anemones were discovered in a deep, dark hole (puka) in a lava rock formation by me during reef surveys that my husband & I were conducting in Honaunau Bay, Hawaii. This species had not previously been reported on the Big Island. During our 900 hours of diving in this location, we only located this unique animal in one other spot, but due to unfavorable ocean conditions were unable to return to that location again to photograph them. Sea anemones are predatory, marine animals of the order Actiniaria.
*After discovering these hidden anemones, it took several consecutive years of scuba diving to photograph them under mostly turbid or dim light conditions. The day finally came to do our poster presentation at Western Illinois University, Annual Meetings of the Illinois State Academy of Science.
*Poster presentation can be viewed below.
Cryptic Sea Anemones (Triactis producta)
These small clusters of hidden, venomous sea anemones were discovered in a deep, dark hole (puka) in a lava rock formation by me during reef surveys that my husband & I were conducting in Honaunau Bay, Hawaii. This species had not previously been reported on the Big Island. During our 900 hours of diving in this location, we only located this unique animal in one other spot, but due to unfavorable ocean conditions were unable to return to that location again to photograph them. Sea anemones are predatory, marine animals of the order Actiniaria.
*After discovering these hidden anemones, it took several consecutive years of scuba diving to photograph them under mostly turbid or dim light conditions. The day finally came to do our poster presentation at Western Illinois University, Annual Meetings of the Illinois State Academy of Science.
*Poster presentation can be viewed below.