Southern California Tidepool Organisms Bryozoans – colonial moss animals Cnidarians – stinging invertebrates Derby Hat Bryozoan Red Bryozoan Aggregating Anemone Giant Green Anemone Sunburst Anemone Eurystomella spp. Watersipora spp. Anthopleura elegantissima Anthopleura xanthogrammica Anthopleura sola
closed closed closed open 2 in (5 cm) open 6.7 in (17 cm) open 6.5 in (12cm) Echinoderms – spiny-skinned invertebrates Sea Stars note signs of wasting Bat Star Brittle Star Ochre Star Giant Pink Sea Star Six Armed Sea Star Sunflower Star Patiria miniata (various genuses) Pisaster ochraceus Pisaster brevispinus Leptasterias spp. Pycnopodia helianthoides
Purple or Red webbed
arms 11 in Various sizes 10 in 31.5 in 4.7 in (12 cm) Long, thin arms (25 cm) (28 cm) 6 arms, 2.4 in(6 cm) (80 cm) Sand Dollar Sea Cucumbers Urchins note signs of balding Eccentric Sand Dollar California Sea Cucumber Warty Sea Cucumber Purple Urchins Red Urchins Dendraster excentricus Parastichopus californicus Parastichopus parvimensis Strongylocentrotus Strongylocentrotus purpuratus franciscanus
has small 4 in 7in black tipped warts (10 cm) (17 cm) 4 in (10 cm) 16 in (40 cm) 10 in (25 cm) long (projections)
Mollusks – soft invertebrates with a shell or remnant shell Snails (single, spiraled shelled invertebrate) Turban Snail Periwinkle Snail Kellet’s Whelk Snail Dog Whelk Snail Unicorn Whelk Snail Scaly Tube Snail Tegula spp. Littorina spp. Kelletia kelletii (Dogwinkles) Acanthinucella spp. Serpulorbis squamigerus Nucella spp.
Top view 6 ½ in 2 in 1.6 in (16.5 cm) (5 cm) 1 in (2.5 cm) ½ in (1.5 cm) (4cm) 5 in (13 cm) Bi-Valves (2 shelled invertebrates) Abalone California Mussel Blue Mussel Olympia Oyster Pacific Oyster Rock Scallop Haliotis spp. Mytilus californianus Mytilus trossulus/galloprovincialis Ostrea lurida Crassostrea gigas Crassedoma gigantea native invasive 6 in (15 cm)
3 in 10 in note observations 5 in (13 cm) (7.6 cm) 12 in (30.5 cm) (25 cm) 4 ½ in (11 cm) 6 in (15 cm) of dead abalone Limpets Chitons Octopus Giant Keyhole Limpet Rough Limpet Volcano Limpet Lottia spp. Limpets Octopus spp. Megathura crenulata Macklintockia scabra Fissurella volcano Juvenile
Adult 1.6 in 1.4 in 1-3 in 10 in (25 cm) (40 mm) (3.5 cm) (3-8 cm) < 15ft (< 5 m) Nudibranchs Sea Hare California Aglaja California Blue Dorid Spanish Shawl Hopkin’s Rose Phidiana hiltoni Aplysia spp. Navanax inermis Felimare californiensis Flabellina iodine Okenia rosacea
16 in (40 cm) 8.7 in (22 cm) 3.5 in (90 mm) 3.1 in (8 cm) 1.1 in (3 cm) 19.7 in (50 cm) This document was prepared in 2016 by the Aquarium of the Pacific (AOP) for educational purposes only, not for sale. Snapshot CAL Coast’s “Most Wanted Species” The original source is hyperlinked to each image in the digital version of this document. Organism comes in a variety of colors Southern California Tidepool Organisms Arthropods – invertebrates with jointed limbs & an exoskeleton Barnacles Common Acorn Gooseneck Barnacle Little Brown Barnacle Red Thatched Barnacle White -Ribbed Red Barnacle Pollicipes polymerus Chthamalus dalli Tetraclita rubescens Barnacle Balanus glandula Megabalanus californicus Diameter Diameter Diameter Diameter
¾ in (1.8 cm) ¼ in (6 mm) 2 in (5.1 cm) 2.4 in (6 cm)
High High High High High 0.4 in (1 cm) 3 in (10 cm) 0.1 in (4 mm) 2 in (5.1 cm) 2 in (5.1 cm)
Crabs Lobsters
Hermit Crab Kelp Crab Masking (Decorator) Crab Striped Shore Crab California Spiny Lobster Pagurus spp. Pugettia spp. Loxorhynchus crispatus Pachygrapsus crassipes Panulirus interruptus
12 in 3.5 in 1 ½ in 1 ½ in 1 ½ in (30 cm) (8.8 cm) (4 cm) (4 cm) (4 cm) note observations of molts Shrimp Isopods Broken back Shrimp Ghost Shrimp Grass Shrimp Kelp Isopods Rock Lice Isopods Scavenging Isopod Heptacarpus spp. Callianassa spp. Penaeus monodon Idotea wosnesenskii Ligia occidentalis Cirolana harfordi
1.6 in 1 in ¾ in 2 ½ in (6.4 cm) 5 in (12.5 cm) 12 in (30 cm) (40 mm) (2.5 cm) (2 cm) Annelids – segmented worms Chordates – animals with a backbone Sand-Castle Tube Worm Spiral Tube Worm Kelp Fish Opaleye Fish Wooly Sculpin Fish Phragmatopoma californica Spirorbis spp. Heterosticbus spp. Girella nigricans Clinocottus analis Adult 24 in 26in (66cm) 2.4 in (61cm) 7in Juvenile (18cm) (6 cm) Non-Animals Phaeophytes – Brown Algae Feather Boa Kelp Giant Kelp Laminaria Pod-weed Spindled Rockweed Rockweeds Egregia menziesii Macrocystis pyrifera Laminaria spp. Halidrys siliquosa Pelvetia fastigiata Fucus gardneri
on protected rocks Devil Weed Japanese Wireweed Sea Cabbage Kelp Sea Palm Wakame Sargassum horneri Sargassum muticum Saccharina sessilis Postelsia Undaria pinnatifida palmaeformis
23.6 in (60 cm tall) Stipe-less on unprotected rocks Chlororophytes – Green Algae Rhodophytes – Red Algae Caulerpa Sea Lettuce Dead Man’s Encrusting Red Comb Weed Tidepool Coralline Tar Spot Algae Caulerpa Ulva spp. Fingers Coralline Algae Plocamium cartilagineum Corallina spp. Mastocarpus papillatus taxifolia Codium Lithothamnion spp. fragile
can be red or brown in color Anthophytes – Flowering Plants Porifera – Sponges Pickleweed Eel-Grass Surf-Grass Orange Encrusting Sponge Purple Encrusting Sponge Red Encrusting Sponge Salicornia Zostera spp Phyllospadix spp. Haliclona permollis Ophlitaspongia spp. virginica Long, Long, Flat blades Wiry blades Grows in Mud Grows on Rocks Red – Orange, Soft texture Red –Yellow, velvety texture This document was prepared in 2016 by the Aquarium of the Pacific (AOP) for educational purposes only, not for sale. Snapshot CAL Coast’s “Most Wanted Species” The original source is hyperlinked to each image in the digital version of this document. Organism comes in a variety of colors