About Anthopleura xanthogrammica (Brandt, 1835)
Anthopleura xanthogrammica is a sea anemone with a maximum column width of 17.5 cm and maximum column height of 30 cm. The diameter of its tentacle crown can reach up to 25 cm. Its column is normally widest at the base, which creates a more stable attachment to rocks. It has a broad, flat oral disk, with no striping, banding, or other markings. A. xanthogrammica occurs along the low to mid intertidal zones of the Pacific Ocean, ranging from Alaska to southern California, and can sometimes extend south to Panama in areas where cold water upwellings occur. This species prefers sandy or rocky shorelines where water stays for most of the day. It is most commonly found in tide pools up to 15 m deep, and can occasionally also occur in deep channels of more exposed rocky shores, and on concrete pilings in bays and harbors. Anthopleura xanthogrammica reproduces sexually through external fertilization of eggs by sperm in late fall. Newly produced pelagic, planktotrophic larvae float in the water until they disperse and settle in mussel beds.
