Southern moon jelly | |
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Aurelia marginalis stranded in South Padre Island, Texas | |
Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Scyphozoa |
Order: | Semaeostomeae |
Family: | Ulmaridae |
Genus: | Aurelia |
Species: | A. marginalis |
Binomial name | |
Aurelia marginalis (Agassiz, 1862) | |
Aurelia marginalis (commonly called the southern moon jelly) is a species of the genus Aurelia. [1] [2] All species in the genus are very similar, and it is difficult to identify Aurelia medusae without genetic sampling. [3]
Aurelia marginalis was first named by Louis Agassiz in 1862, who encountered the jellyfish near Florida. [4] In 1910 Alfred G. Mayer suggested that A. marginalis was a synonym of A. aurita. [5] However, there is morphological and genetic evidence that A. marginalis is indeed a separate species. [2] [3]
Aurelia marginalis in its medusa stage is "flatter than a hemisphere" and can grow up to 30 cm (12 in) in diameter. Differences between A. marginalis and A. aurita can mostly be found in the polyp stage and include "free amino acid composition, nematocyst types, morphology, and asexual reproduction," as well as genetics. [3]
Aurelia marginalis can be found from Delaware Bay to the West Indies and throughout the Gulf of Mexico. It is a neritic species, meaning it lives in shallow waters near the coast. [2] [3] A. marginalis lives in warm water. [2]
Jellyfish, also known sea jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria.
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish.
Aurelia aurita is a species of the family Ulmaridae. 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.
Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake located on Eil Malk island in Palau. Eil Malk is part of the Rock Islands, a group of small, rocky, mostly uninhabited islands in Palau's Southern Lagoon, between Koror and Peleliu. There are about 70 other marine lakes located throughout the Rock Islands. Millions of golden jellyfish migrate horizontally across the lake daily.
Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the immortal jellyfish, is a species of small, biologically immortal jellyfish found worldwide in temperate to tropic waters. It is one of the few known cases of animals capable of reverting completely to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary individual. Others include the jellyfish Laodicea undulata and species of the genus Aurelia.
Aurelia is a genus of jellyfish that are commonly called moon jellies, which are in the class Scyphozoa. There are currently 25 accepted species and many that are still not formally described.
Cyanea is a genus of jellyfish, primarily found in northern waters of the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans and southern Pacific waters of Australia and New Zealand, there are also several boreal, polar, tropical and sub-tropical species. Commonly found in and associated with rivers and fjords. The same genus name has been given to a genus of plants of the Hawaiian lobelioids, an example of a parahomonym.
Aurelia labiata is a species of moon jellyfish. It is a cnidarian in the family Ulmaridae. It is typically larger than Aurelia aurita, with individuals document up to 45 cm (18 in). However, much of its size range overlaps with A. aurita, making size an imperfect diagnostic tool. Most Aurelia labiata have a 16-scalloped bell, meaning the bell indents inward at 16 points, a characteristic that also appears in other Aurelia species. Aurelia labiata occurs in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, from the northern coast of California, north to Canada and into Alaska.
Drymonema is a genus of true jellyfish, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: Drymonema dalmatinum, Drymonema gorgo, and Drymonema larsoni, which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
Gonionemus vertens, the clinging jellyfish, is a small species of hydrozoan in the family Olindiidae found in coastal regions throughout large parts of the Northern Hemisphere.
Cyanea nozakii or Cyanea nozaki (misspelling), commonly known as the ghost jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish found in the northern Pacific Ocean near the coasts of China and Japan. Along with other species of large jellyfish, it is showing a greater tendency to appear in large numbers and cause blooms.
Nemopsis bachei is a species of relatively small gelatinous zooplankton hydrozoa found in both marine and estuarine environments. This particular species was first found and described by Louis Agassiz in 1849 from samples that were taken from the coast of Massachusetts. It was also noted and described in 1857 by another name off the coast of South Carolina.
Aurelia coerulea or Asian moon jelly is a species of moon jelly in the genus Aurelia. This species is native to the seas off Japan, China, Korea, and California, as well as the Mediterranean and other temperate seas. and they can also be found in coastal areas of China, Korea, California, the Mediterranean and other temperate seas. It is particularly abundant in artificial habitats and sheltered regions. It has a very high reproductive rate which can cause blooming events. A.coerulea blooming causes problems such as impairing fisheries, clogging the nuclear power plants and disrupting the local zooplankton abundance. The chemical compounds the species secretes as a self-defense mechanism can be used for pharmaceutical purposes.
Cyanea fulva, the Atlantic lion's mane jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish found along the Mid-Atlantic coastal region of the United States. C. fulva are commonly noted as being about two inches in diameter and smaller than C. capillata, however, larger than C. versicolor, a co-occurring close species. One distinctive feature present in mature C. fulva populations is their four mouth-part tentacles, containing a cinnamon color with the center of the main cavity being darker. At a young age, these jellyfish can have three appendages but often gain a fourth at more developed life cycle stages. C. fulva are also known for having less folds compared to C. arctica but more folds compared to C. versicolor. These folds are described as being remarkably thin and deciduous.
Aurelia limbata, the brown-banded moon jelly, is a type of moon jelly that occurs in various places throughout the Pacific Ocean.
Aurelia ayla is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is known via type specimens found in waters off the coast of Bonaire.
Aurelia insularia is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is known via polyp type specimens found in waters off the coast of Brazil, around Ilha Grande.
Aurelia malayensis is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is known via type specimens found in the Philippines.
Aurelia miyakei is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is found in the Gulf of Thailand and the Kwajalein Atoll.
Aurelia rara is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is known from type specimens found near Dauphin Island.