# Actinia (sea anemone)
**Actinia** is a genus of sea anemones in the family Actiniidae, order Actiniaria, erected by Linnaeus in 1767; its best-known member is the beadlet anemone *[Actinia equina](https://www.edgepedia.org/beadlet-anemone)* (Linnaeus, 1758), a common red anemone of European rocky shores. The genus is historically important in sea anemone taxonomy but taxonomically difficult: many species once placed in *Actinia* have been reassigned to other genera, and the type species itself is now treated as a species complex.[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6106) • [2](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Actinia)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Genus authority | *Actinia* Linnaeus, 1767; family Actiniidae, order Actiniaria, class Anthozoa[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6106) |
| Type species | *Actinia equina* (Linnaeus, 1758), basionym *Priapus equinus*[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6106) |
| Name records | A WoRMS search for *Actinia* returns 515 matching records, most of them historical names now assigned to other genera such as *Metridium*, *Entacmaea*, and *Anthopleura*[2](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Actinia) |
| Species complex | *A. equina* sensu lato has been split into at least *A. equina*, *A. prasina*, *A. fragacea*, *A. nigropunctata*, *A. ebhayiensis*, *A. schmidti*, and *A. sali*, mostly on allozyme evidence[3](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2020.100753) |
| Genome | A PacBio assembly of one *A. equina* individual: contig N50 = 492,607 bp, 1,485 contigs, 47,671 protein-coding genes, 97% BUSCO completeness[4](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32057717/) |
| Habitat | Intertidal rocky shores; the Italian Red List assessment records a maximum depth of 2 m and tolerance of long periods of emersion[5](https://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=904591704) |
| Toxins | The nematocysts of *A. equina* contain equistatin and equinatoxin, used for feeding and defense[6](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Actinia_equina/) |
## Taxonomic history
Linnaeus created the genus *Actinia* in 1767 for what are now recognized as actiniarian sea anemones, and the name became a catch-all for many anemone forms described in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.[7](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-024-01425-9) As a result, the name carries a large burden of historical synonyms. Of the 515 records matching *Actinia* in the [World Register of Marine Species](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-register-of-marine-species), the great majority are names originally described under *Actinia* and later moved to other genera: *Actinia dianthus* Ellis, 1768 is now *Metridium dianthus*; *Actinia (Entacmaea) quadricolor* is now *Entacmaea quadricolor*; *Actinia (Taractostephanus) elegantissima* is now *Anthopleura elegantissima*; and *Actinia (Isacmaea) gigantea* is now *Stichodactyla haddoni*.[2](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Actinia) A separate name *Actinia* Pallas, 1766 is accepted as the holothuroid genus *Pentacta* Goldfuss, 1820.[2](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Actinia)
The genus remains accepted, with *Actinia equina* as its current type species and *Priapus equinus* Linnaeus, 1758 as the basionym.[1](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6106) Accepted species still placed in the genus include *Actinia obtruncata* Stimpson, 1853, described from Grand Manan in the [Bay of Fundy](https://www.edgepedia.org/bay-of-fundy) region and recorded from [Cape Hatteras](https://www.edgepedia.org/cape-hatteras) to the Bay of Fundy.[8](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?id=158207&p=taxdetails)
## The Actinia equina species complex
**A familiar animal, a difficult taxonomy.** The beadlet anemone *Actinia equina* is a common organism of North Atlantic rocky shores, with a reported range from the [Kola Peninsula](https://www.edgepedia.org/kola-peninsula) of northern Russia to the coast of South Africa; populations in the Adriatic, Mediterranean, and [Black Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/black-sea), and on the coasts of Japan, Korea, and Hong Kong, have also been ascribed to the name.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098118303654) Formerly treated as one geographically widespread, variable species, the group is now regarded as a complex of species, divided largely by allozyme electrophoresis into at least *A. equina*, *A. prasina* (a leek-green form first identified on the [Isle of Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/isle-of-man)), *A. fragacea* (the strawberry anemone found along Europe's Atlantic coast), *A. nigropunctata* (Madeira), *A. ebhayiensis* (South Africa), *A. schmidti* (Mediterranean), and *A. sali* (Cape Verde).[3](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2020.100753) • [10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098125000620) Mediterranean forms have been reclassified as *Actinia schmidti* (now *Actinia mediterranea*), *Actinia cari*, and *Actinia striata*, although these are considered to deserve further study.[10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098125000620)
Molecular work has both supported and complicated this picture. A study along the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula combining nuclear 28S and mitochondrial 16S fragments with morphological analysis of nematocyst characters identified three species in the studied area: *A. equina*, *A. fragacea* Tugwell, and *A. schmidti*.[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485521000402) An earlier Portuguese study of the 28S gene had found two genetic groups separated by an average uncorrected p distance of 1.5%, a distance compatible with distinct species, and had questioned the validity of *A. equina* and *A. fragacea* as separate species along the Portuguese coast.[11](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485521000402) Barcoding of British populations found low variability in the COI gene, with just two haplotypes detected, but the frequency of those haplotypes differs significantly between color morphs.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098118303654) A 2025 study of internal transcribed spacer lineages found deeply diverged ITS lineages and polyploid hybrids in *A. equina*, suggesting a ploidy-based barrier to gene flow between cryptic morphotypes.[10](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098125000620)
Because the species are morphologically similar and their distributions overlap, it can be unclear whether samples identified as *A. equina* in older studies actually concerned that species or other, unrecognized members of the complex with different reproductive strategies.[3](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2020.100753)
## Reproduction and ecology
*Actinia equina* is a sessile, soft-bodied intertidal anemone that tolerates long periods of emersion at low tide.[5](https://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=904591704) Sexes are separate, but asexual reproduction is common, and parthenogenesis has been suggested for the species.[5](https://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=904591704) Along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, population studies suggested exclusive sexual reproduction, in contrast to the clonal replication known in other *Actinia* populations.[12](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022098109001609) The species is versatile in habitat choice and displays variable color patterns, broad habitat tolerance, and diverse modes of reproduction.[13](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25544542/)
Like other sea anemones, *A. equina* uses nematocysts, stinging organelles, to capture prey and defend itself; its toxins include equistatin and equinatoxin, and amoebocytes of the animal show antibacterial properties that have been discussed as possible leads for medicine or plant protection.[6](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Actinia_equina/)
## Genomics
Only a handful of actiniarian genomes were available before 2020, among them *Nematostella vectensis*, *Exaiptasia pallida*, and *Anemonia viridis*, with a genome of *Actinia tenebrosa* completed around the same time.[3](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2020.100753) To support population genetics and systematics of the complex, researchers sequenced the genome of a single *A. equina* individual using PacBio Sequel long reads, producing an assembly with a contig N50 of 492,607 bp across 1,485 contigs, 47,671 protein-coding genes, and 97% BUSCO completeness.[4](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32057717/) The same study examined meiotic toolkit genes in connection with the question of sexual reproduction in the species.[4](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32057717/) A companion study deduced the complete mitochondrial genome of *A. equina* and assessed the utility of mitochondrial DNA barcoding for British populations.[9](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098118303654)
## Conservation status
In the Italian Red List, *Actinia equina* was assessed in 2014 as Least Concern: the species is reported from all Italian coasts, including the Ligurian and Tyrrhenian Seas, the [Strait of Messina](https://www.edgepedia.org/strait-of-messina), the [Ionian Sea](https://www.edgepedia.org/ionian-sea), and the upper and middle Adriatic, no decline has been quantified, and the population trend is stable. Listed threats are generic pollution of surface waters and heavy coastal visitation.[5](https://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=904591704)
## References
1. [Actinia equina, NCBI Taxonomy Browser](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/Taxonomy/Browser/wwwtax.cgi?id=6106)
2. [WoRMS Taxon list: Actinia, World Register of Marine Species](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxlist&tName=Actinia)
3. [The genome of the sea anemone Actinia equina (L.): Meiotic toolkit genes and the question of sexual reproduction, Marine Genomics](https://doi.org/10.1016/j.margen.2020.100753)
4. [The genome of the sea anemone Actinia equina (L.), PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32057717/)
5. [Actinia equina, Liste Rosse, Comitato Italiano IUCN](https://www.iucn.it/scheda.php?id=904591704)
6. [Actinia equina, Animal Diversity Web](https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Actinia_equina/)
7. [Taxonomy and nomenclature in the widespread and well-known sea anemone Metridium de Blainville, 1824, Marine Biodiversity](https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12526-024-01425-9)
8. [Actinia obtruncata Stimpson, 1853, WoRMS taxon details](https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?id=158207&p=taxdetails)
9. [Morphotypes of the common beadlet anemone Actinia equina (L.) are genetically distinct, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098118303654)
10. [Deeply diverged ITS lineages and polyploid hybrids in the beadlet anemone Actinia equina, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0022098125000620)
11. [Molecular and morphological validation of the species of the genus Actinia along the Atlantic Iberian Peninsula, Regional Studies in Marine Science](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352485521000402)
12. [Biological and population-genetic aspects of the sea anemone Actinia equina along the Mediterranean coast of Israel, Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022098109001609)
13. [Absence of consistent genetic differentiation among several morphs of Actinia occurring in the Portuguese coast, PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25544542/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Life and health › Animals › Invertebrates › Other invertebrate lineages › Cnidarians and ctenophores › Anthozoans › Hexacorallia › Sea anemones (Actiniaria) › Actiniarian genera*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 11, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026 · Last review: Oct 21, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license