Starlet sea anemone

The starlet sea anemone (Nematostella vectensis) is a species of sea anemone that lives along the coast of southeast England and the east and west coasts of the United States. Populations have also been located in Nova Scotia, Canada. The starlet sea anemone has a bulbous basal end and a contracting column (usually less than two cm but no more than six cm) in order to burrow into the mud. At the top of the column is an oral disk containing the mouth surrounded by two rings of tentacles - typically 16 but up to 20. Although the general color is a greyish white, recent food consumption may temporarily affect pigmentation.

Links

 * Nematostella.org
 * StellaBase
 * Nematostella's Tree of Life entry
 * JGI's Nematostella Genome Project