| Clytia gregaria | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Clytia gregaria | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Petalonamae |
| Class: | Hydrozoa |
| Order: | Leptothecata |
| Family: | Campanulariidae |
| Genus: | Clytia |
| Species: | C. gregaria |
| Binomial name | |
| Clytia gregaria (L. Agassiz, 1862) | |
| Synonyms | |
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Clytia gregaria, sometimes referred to as the gregarious jellyfish, is a small species of hydrozoan in the family Campanulariidae. It is one of the most abundant hydrzoans of the Pacific Northwest, particularly during late spring and summer.
Clytia gregaria is found on the eastern Pacific Ocean, from Alaska to Oregon. It is pelagic and commonly found floating close to shore.[ citation needed ]
Mature individuals can reach 2 cm in diameter, but rarely reach 1.5 cm. Clytia gregaria's translucent bell is saucer-shaped, with a diameter greater than its height. Positioned close to the bell margin are four radial canals with a white or yellowish elongated gonad in each. On the bell margin are up to 60 highly extensile tentacles of equal length (in mature individuals). The mouth opens directly into the manubrium, which has four ruffled lips and is a pale yellow or brownish color. The manubrium is attached directly to the subumbrella. Sometimes there is a lateral stripe of dark pigment on the bell margin and gonads. [1] [2]
The planula of Clytia gregaria settle on a variety of substrates, on both horizontal and vertical surfaces. The planula then flattens into a pedal disk with 4-6 lobes. A stolon is visible after approximately a week, which then branches and forms a colony of hydroids. Medusae are released approximately 35–45 days after fertilization, from spring to early fall. Newly hatched medusae have 4 tentacles, with an additional 4 immature tentacular buds. The initial diameter of medusae is up to 1.4 mm, increasing to 2.5 – 3 mm within two days. Sexual maturity can be reached in 4 weeks, or sooner with optimal conditions. (Note that this data is based on laboratory conditions.) Adults are carnivorous, feeding upon soft-bodied prey such as invertebrate eggs and appendicularians. Despite its abundance during the summer, Clytia gregaria is relatively short-lived, and its lifespan rarely exceeds 3 months. [3] [4]
The larvae of the sea anemone Peachia quinquecapitata are ectoparasites of Clytia gregaria. [5]
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. The most common method used to identify the species consists of selecting a jellyfish from a harbour using a device, usually a drinking glass and then photographing the subject. This means that they can be released in to the harbour shortly afterwards and return to their natural habitat.
Obelia is a genus of hydrozoans, a class of mainly marine and some freshwater animal species that have both polyp and medusa stages in their life cycle. Hydrozoa belongs to the phylum Cnidaria, which are aquatic organisms that are relatively simple in structure. There are 120 known species in this genus with more being discovered. These species are grouped into three broad categories: O. bidentada, O. dichotoma, and O. geniculata. O. longissima was later accepted as a legitimate species, but taxonomy regarding the entire genus is debated over.
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.
Gonionemus is a genus of hydrozoans that uses adhesive discs near the middle of each tentacle to attach to eelgrass, sea lettuce, or various types of algae instead of swimming. They are small and hard to see when hanging onto swaying seaweed. Nevertheless, they are capable of swimming when necessary. The bell is transparent, revealing the four orange to yellowish-tan gonads that lie along most of the length of the four radial canals. The pale yellow manubrium has four short, frilly lips. Up to 80 tentacles line the bell margin, with about an equal number of statocysts. Copepods are a favored prey.
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.
Cribrinopsis fernaldi, also known as the crimson anemone, snakelock anemone, chevron-tentacle anemone and Fernald brooding anemone, is a sea anemone native to the Pacific Ocean off northwestern North America.
Urticina crassicornis, commonly known as the mottled anemone, the painted anemone or the Christmas anemone, is a large and common intertidal and subtidal sea anemone. Its habitat includes a large portion of the coastal areas of the northern hemisphere, mainly polar regions, and it lives a solitary life for up to 80 years. Mottled anemones are similar to Dahlia anemones and both are commonly referred to as northern red anemones.
Cucumaria miniata is a species of sea cucumber. It is commonly known as the orange sea cucumber or red sea cucumber due to its striking color. This northeast Pacific species is often found wedged in between rocks or crevices at the coast or on docks and can generally be identified by its orange bushy tentacles protruding above the substrate.
Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine organisms of the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Hexacorallia. As cnidarians, sea anemones are related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones, and Hydra. Unlike jellyfish, sea anemones do not have a medusa stage in their life cycle.
Lovenellidae is a family of hydrozoans. Their hydroids live together in upright stolonal or sympodial colonies, and their gonophores are pedunculate free-roaming medusae. The relationships of this fairly small but distinctive radiation to other members of the order Leptothecata are not well understood at present.
Anthopleura xanthogrammica, or the giant green anemone, is a species of intertidal sea anemone of the family Actiniidae.
Metridium senile, or frilled anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Metridiidae. As a member of the genus Metridium, it is a type of plumose anemone and is found in the seas off north-western Europe and both the east and west coasts of North America.
Peachia quinquecapitata, also known as the twelve-tentacled parasitic anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Haloclavidae. It is found in the Pacific Northwest. The larva is parasitic on certain species of Anthomedusae.
Pandeidae is a family of hydroids in the class Hydrozoa. Like other jellyfish there is usually a mature medusa form which is pelagic and reproduces sexually and a hydroid or polyp form which is often benthic and reproduces asexually by budding.
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.
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.
Urticina columbiana, common names crusty red anemone, Columbia sand anemone, sand anemone, and the sand-rose anemone, is a species of sea anemone in the family Actiniidae.
Tripedalia cystophora is a small species of box jellyfish in the family Tripedaliidae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the Central Indo-Pacific.
Clytia hemisphaerica is a small hydrozoan-group cnidarian, about 1 cm in diameter, that is found in the Mediterranean Sea and the North-East Atlantic Ocean. Clytia has the free-swimming jellyfish form typical of the Hydrozoa, as well as vegetatively propagating polyps.
Bougainvillia superciliaris is a marine invertebrate, a species of athecate hydroid. It belongs to the Bougainvillidae family. It can be confused with Rathkea octopunctata, but differs from it in four bundles of tentacles of the outer circle.