Stichodactyla helianthus
| Stichodactyla helianthus | |
|---|---|
| Stichodactyla helianthus on Culebra Island, Puerto Rico | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Subphylum: | Anthozoa |
| Class: | Hexacorallia |
| Order: | Actiniaria |
| Family: | Stichodactylidae |
| Genus: | Stichodactyla |
| Species: | S. helianthus |
| Binomial name | |
| Stichodactyla helianthus Ellis, 1768 | |
Stichodactyla helianthus, commonly known as sun anemone, is a sea anemone of the family Stichodactylidae. Helianthus stems from the Greek words ἡλιος (meaning sun), and ἀνθος, meaning flower. S. helianthus is a large, green, sessile, carpet-like sea anemone, from the Caribbean. It lives in shallow areas with mild to strong currents.