Mastigias ocellatus

Mastigias ocellatus
Scientific classification
Domain:	Eukaryota
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Scyphozoa
Order:	Rhizostomeae
Family:	Mastigiidae
Genus:	Mastigias
Species:	M. ocellatus
Binomial name
Mastigias ocellatus (Modeer, 1791)
Synonyms [1]
Medusa ocellata Modeer, 1791 Versura palmata Haeckel, 1880

Mastigias ocellatus, the golden medusa, is a species of jellyfish in the family Mastigiidae. It is native to the southern Pacific Ocean.

Etymology

The specific epithet is derived from the Latin ocellatus, "having small eyes", referring to the white spots on the edge of the bell that appear similar to small eyes. ^[2]

Description

The medusa of Mastigias ocellatus grows to a diameter of about 15 cm (6 in). The surface of the bell is sculptured with small, polygonal nematocyst warts. There are 96 marginal lappets and eight three-winged mouth arms, terminating in a bare, club-shaped extremity, the tip of which is blue. The bell is reddish-brown, with white spots near the edge, each with a brown centre and margin. ^{[1] [3]}

Distribution

Mastigias ocellatus occurs in October in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is a pelagic species, and its method of reproduction has not been studied. ^[3]

References

1. "Mastigias ocellatus". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 13 February 2025.
2. Modeer A. (1791). Tentamen systematis medusarum stabiliendi. Nova acta physico-medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosum. 8(Appendix): 27.
3. "Mastigias ocellata (Madeer, 1791)". Information system of Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa. Retrieved 8 March 2018.