Ecology

A. veratra can be found in the intertidal zone of Australian and New Zealand coasts. Individuals at Point Cartwright (QLD) were usually found adhered to horizontal surfaces between boulders that make up rock pools(Figures 1-2). Individuals were occasionally seen in the centre of pools. These individuals appeared to be buried in sand, but attempts to dig them up revealed they were strongly adhered to an underlying hard substrate. A.veratra is often found in close proximity to Oulactis mucosa (Edmands & Fautin, 1991)(Figures 1-2).



Figure 1: Aulactinia veratra (bottom) and Oulactis mucosa (top) in a rockpool at Point Cartwright, QLD.


Figure 2: Oulactis mucosa in a rock pool at Point Cartwright, QLD.