Photo by Richard Steventon Photo by Guido Zsilavecz	Violet-spotted anemone Anthopleura stephensoni This is a little known anemone, which occurs singly or in small groups, usually on sandy sites. Characteristic are the pink spots on a yellow column, as are the radiating red or pink lines. The tentacles are generally short, and may have pink tips. Diameter is given as reaching 30mm, although the one Richard photographed seems larger. The photo by Guido shows a small individual. This species may easily be confused by the dwarf spotted anemone, also shown on the SURG web page. They both have columns with pink or purple spots, and white tentacles often tipped in pink. The difference is the lacking radiating lines on the dwarf spotted anemone.
References: Thanks to Peter Southwood for information. Two Oceans, A guide to the marine life of Southern Africa, GM Branch, CL Griffiths, ML Branch and LE Beckley, 1994.
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