Photo: (c) Johanna Marshall, some rights reserved (CC BY) · CC-BY · Source and license. Displayed as a resized crop. Photograph illustrates the species.
Habitat
Rocks, kelp forests, pilings, marina floats, and surge-channel walls
Published depth range
Low intertidal to at least 25 m
Viewing activities
Scuba diving · Beach / tidepool
What to look for
A red column marked with vertical rows of white dots; tentacles are red toward their tips.
What it eats
Small suspended prey and organic particles captured with the tentacles.
Wider distribution
Pacific coast from Alaska to southern California.
Identification and naming
SIMoN’s heading uses Cribrinopsis albopunctata; some explanatory text retains older Urticina and Tealia names.
When to look
The available records do not establish a reliable local viewing season. Use the map’s month filter to inspect dated observations; it does not predict an encounter.
WHERE HAS IT BEEN RECORDED?
Explore the featured regions
These dated records show past presence. They do not establish today’s abundance, guarantee a sighting, or describe the species’ entire range.
Monterey Bay
Recorded here
35,657 OBIS records in the regional query · snapshot 2026-09-12.
