Those in the outer whorl are long and slender and armed with cnidocytes (stinging cells) and are used for catching prey.

The tentacles are sometimes banded and come in an array of colours; white, yellow, orange, green, brown, blue, black, purple and violet.

[2] The column of this tube anemone secretes mucus in which is embedded a unique type of cnidocytes that mesh together to form a fibrous structure.

The gametes are liberated into the sea and after fertilisation, the developing larvae drift with the plankton for a long time before settling on the seabed and undergoing metamorphosis into juvenile polyps.

[5] The lifespan of C. membranaceus in the wild is not known, but some individuals have been occupants of a tank in Naples Aquarium for more than fifty years.