Sea anemones are invertebrates that belong to the phylum Cnidaria, which also includes jellyfish and corals. The basic schematic of the sea anemone Anthopleura sola is shown below. As shown in the figure, anemones look like flowers. The anemones cling to rocks and have stinging tentacles that allow them to catch prey and deter predators. The tentacles and the disk are often brightly colored or have distinctive patterns.

Anthopleura sola photograph (right) and schematic (left)

The sunburst sea anemone, Anthopleura sola, is currently found in the middle to low intertidal between Punta Banda, Baja California and Bodega Bay in Northern California. It reproduces sexually in August, producing millions of larvae called bullets. The larvae are carried by near-shore surface currents to other sites in the intertidal, where they settle.

Schematic of the rocky intertidal zones

Anthopleura sola has been chosen as the focus species of this study for several reasons. It has long been mistaken as either a subspecies of the aggregating anemone, Anthopleura elegantissima, or the giant green anemone, Anthopleura xanthogrammica, and has only recently been identified as a separate species. As a result, there is little data available on this anemone. It is thus important to create baseline inventories of A. sola at different points along the coast. In addition, individuals have distinctive colors and patterns, making it easy to track them.