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.
Tiburonia is a genus of jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It was reported in 2003, following the discovery of its only species yet identified, Tiburonia granrojo. It was discovered by a crew from MBARI led by George Matsumoto. Pieces of the medusae were collected for morphological analysis, which eventually led to sequencing and taxonomic identification. The discovery of this organism led to not only a new species, but a new subfamily of Ulmaridae, called Tiburoniinae. Its genus was named Tiburonia after the ROV the crew were using, called Tiburon, meaning "shark" in Spanish. Because of this ROVs distinct maneuverability, all angles of the organisms were able to be observed, which is particularly important to the study of gelatinous pelagic invertebrates. Its species name was originally to be called "big ugly", but Kirsten Matsumoto, George Matsumoto's wife, raised objections to this name, and renamed it granrojo, meaning "big red" in Spanish, leading to its English-language name, the Big Red Jellyfish.
Gelatinous zooplankton are fragile animals that live in the water column in the ocean. Their delicate bodies have no hard parts and are easily damaged or destroyed. Gelatinous zooplankton are often transparent. All jellyfish are gelatinous zooplankton, but not all gelatinous zooplankton are jellyfish. The most commonly encountered organisms include ctenophores, medusae, salps, and Chaetognatha in coastal waters. However, almost all marine phyla, including Annelida, Mollusca and Arthropoda, contain gelatinous species, but many of those odd species live in the open ocean and the deep sea and are less available to the casual ocean observer. Many gelatinous plankters utilize mucous structures in order to filter feed. Gelatinous zooplankton have also been called Gelata.
Chrysaora hysoscella, the compass jellyfish, is a common species of jellyfish that inhabits coastal waters in temperate regions of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea. In the past it was also recorded in the southeastern Atlantic, including South Africa, but this was caused by confusion with close relatives; C. africana, C. fulgida and an undescribed species tentatively referred to as "C. agulhensis".
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.
Mawia is a genus of jellyfish in the family Pelagiidae. It is a monotypic genus with the sole species Mawia benovici. The team who discovered this jellyfish named it benovici after a late colleague, Adam Benovic. Originally belonging to the genus Pelagia, it was later moved into its own genus, which was named after the Arab warrior-queen Mavia. Although described based on specimens from the Adriatic Sea, a part of the Mediterranean, it was speculated that these might be transplants rather than a part of its natural range. A later study found specimens in Senegal, indicating that its natural range possibly is the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa.
Jelly-falls are marine carbon cycling events whereby gelatinous zooplankton, primarily cnidarians, sink to the seafloor and enhance carbon and nitrogen fluxes via rapidly sinking particulate organic matter. These events provide nutrition to benthic megafauna and bacteria. Jelly-falls have been implicated as a major “gelatinous pathway” for the sequestration of labile biogenic carbon through the biological pump. These events are common in protected areas with high levels of primary production and water quality suitable to support cnidarian species. These areas include estuaries and several studies have been conducted in fjords of Norway.
Desmonema is a genus of jellyfish under the Cyaneidae family found in colder waters near the Antarctic region and off of the coast of Argentina. They have a bell diameter that can extend over 1 meter and wide tentacles that are grouped together in clusters. They share similar anatomical and physiological structures to the genus Cyanea. Their sophisticated structures like the thick tentacles, sensory systems, and gastrovascular system allow Desmonema to easily capture and extracellularly digest their prey. In recent years, Desmonema were reported to have a commensal relationship with fishes under the Trachurus genus and a parasitic relationship with specimens of the Hyperia genus. The genus name derives from the Ancient Greek desmós (δεσμός), meaning "bond", and nêma (νῆμᾰ), meaning "thread".
The golden jellyfish is a subspecies of spotted jellyfish that inhabits Jellyfish Lake on Eil Malk island in Palau in the western Pacific Ocean. Like the nominate subspecies, it derives part of its nutrition from symbiotic algae (Zooxanthellae) that live in their tissues and part of their nutrition from captured zooplankton.
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 marginalis 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.
Aurelia montyi is a species of true jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is found in the eastern Gulf of Mexico.
