| Atorella vanhoeffeni | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Illustration of A. vanhoeffeni | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Coronatae |
| Family: | Atorellidae |
| Genus: | Atorella |
| Species: | A. vanhoeffeni |
| Binomial name | |
| Atorella vanhoeffeni Bigelow, 1909 | |
Atorella vanhoeffeni, also known as the gold-spotted crown jelly, [1] is a species of true jellyfish in the family Atorellidae. [2]
The specific epithet was given in honor of Ernst Vanhöffen, who originally described the genus Atorella . [3] The vernacular name "gold-spotted crown jelly" is in reference to the bioluminescent orange color of its gonads and the tips of its tentacles.
The bell of Atorella vanhoeffeni is 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in) high and 4.5–7 millimetres (0.18–0.28 in) wide. [4] [5] It has a deep, distinct ring furrow. The outside of its bell has several nematocyst warts [4] that extend over the lappets. [3] The marginal lappets are long and oval-like in shape; it has 12, with six tentacles and six rhopalia between them. [5] The stomach is flattened and shallow. Its gastric filaments are arranged in four groups. The amount of filaments in each group has been reported to be as much as 80–100 [4] to as few as 20–30. [5] Each group arises from a gelatinous stalk. The mouth is cross-shaped, with four short lips. It has four leaf-shaped gonads, which are split down the middle; the female gonads contain large eggs. [3] Its tentacles are about as long as the bell's diameter, occasionally longer, [5] and have a knob-shaped swelling at their tips. [4] The swelling is partially related to nematocysts, which litter the tips of the tentacles. [3] The tips of the tentacles are a bright orange-yellow color, as are the gonads; this is used by the species to lure and then paralyze plankton via aggressive mimicry. [1] However, the gonads have been reported as being a beige color as well. [5] Otherwise, the species is colorless and transparent.
Cnidaria is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter.
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile. The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle; the medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae that disperse widely and enter a sedentary polyp phase before reaching sexual maturity.
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish.
Aurelia aurita is a species of the genus Aurelia. All species in the genus are very similar, and it is difficult to identify Aurelia medusae without genetic sampling; most of what follows applies equally to all species of the genus.
Aequorea victoria, also sometimes called the crystal jelly, is a bioluminescent hydrozoan jellyfish, or hydromedusa, that is found off the west coast of North America.
Rhopalia are small sensory structures of certain Scyphozoan and Cubozoan species.
Pelagia noctiluca is a jellyfish in the family Pelagiidae and the only currently recognized species in the genus Pelagia. It is typically known in English as the mauve stinger, but other common names are purple-striped jelly, purple stinger, purple people eater, purple jellyfish, luminous jellyfish and night-light jellyfish. In Greek, pelagia means "(she) of the sea", from pelagos "sea, open sea"; in Latin noctiluca is the combining form of nox, "night"", and lux, "light"; thus, Pelagia noctiluca can be described as a marine organism with the ability to glow in the dark (bioluminescence). It is found worldwide in tropical and warm temperate seas, although it is suspected that records outside the North Atlantic region, which includes the Mediterranean and Gulf of Mexico, represent closely related but currently unrecognized species.
Discomedusae is a subclass of jellyfish in the class Scyphozoa. It is the sister taxon of Coronamedusae. Discomedusae contains about 155 named species and there are likely to be many more as yet undescribed. Jellyfish in this subclass are much more likely to have swarming events or form blooms than those in Coronamedusae. Discomedusae consists of two orders, Rhizostomae and Semaeostomeae.
Atolla is a genus of crown jellyfish in the order Coronatae. The genus Atolla was originally proposed by Haeckel in 1880 and elevated to the monotypic family level, as Atollidae by Henry Bigelow in 1913. The six known species inhabit the mesopelagic zone. The medusae possess multiple lobes called lappets at the bell margin. Medusae also have eight tentacles, alternating with eight rhopalia, and twice as many lappets occur as tentacles.
Vallentinia gabriellae, the hitch-hiking jellyfish, is a species of small, inconspicuous hydrozoan in the family Olindiidae. It is endemic to a few isolated parts of the western Atlantic Ocean. It is elusive in the wild but sometimes makes its appearance unexpectedly in seawater cultures of other organisms in the laboratory.
Lychnorhiza lucerna is a species of jellyfish in the order Rhizostomeae. It is found off the Atlantic coasts of South America.
Liriope is a genus of hydrozoan in the family Geryoniidae. It contains only one species, Liriope tetraphylla.
Rhopilema verrilli, or mushroom cap jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish in the family Rhizostomatidae. They are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their mushroom-shaped medusae. The species does not have any tentacles; however, they still have stinging cells, called nematocysts, within their bells, which can produce mild stings to humans.
Coronamedusae is a subclass of jellyfish in the class Scyphozoa. It is the sister taxon of Discomedusae and contains about 50 named species, all included in the order Coronatae. Jellyfish in this subclass are either small medusae living in shallow marine environments, or large medusae living in the deep sea.
Atorella is a genus of crown jellyfish. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Atorellidae and includes five species. Members of this family are known from the eastern coast of Africa and the western coast of Panama.
Cyanea annaskala is a species of jellyfish that was discovered in 1882 by Robert Lendlmayer von Lendenfeld.
Cyanea citrea is a species of true jellyfish in the family Cyaneidae. It has been found in waters off the coasts of Japan and Russia. The generic name, Cyanea, is derived from the Latin cyaneus, meaning "deep or dark blue in color". The specific epithet, citrea, is derived from the Latin citreus, meaning "citrus", likely in reference to the species' orange color.
Atorella octogonos is a species of crown jellyfish in the family Atorellidae. It has been found in the Bahamas.
Nausithoe albatrossi is a species of crown jellyfish in the family Nausithoidae. It is found in the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Nausithoe picta is a species of crown jellyfish in the family Nausithoidae. It is found in the south Pacific Ocean.
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