Aurelia labiata is a species of moon jellyfish. It is a cnidarian in the family Ulmaridae.[1] It is typically larger than Aurelia aurita,[2] with individuals document up to 45 cm (18 in).[3] However, much of its size range overlaps with A. aurita (up to 40 cm (16 in)), 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.[4][5] Aurelia labiata occurs in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, from the northern coast of California, north to Canada and into Alaska[5].

Aurelia labiata
Aurelia labiata at the Vienna Zoo
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Order: Semaeostomeae
Family: Ulmaridae
Genus: Aurelia
Species:
A. labiata
Binomial name
Aurelia labiata
Aurelia labiata in the Vienna Zoo
Moon Jelly at Monterey Bay Aquarium, California USA

Behavior edit

The Aurelia labiata have adaptive behaviors that include directional and vertical swimming. Directional swimming helps them escape from predators, approach to a food source, and swim through turbulence. Vertical swimming allows them to avoid rocky walls and low salinity. These behaviors come from their sensory receptors and nervous system that allows better mobility for their survival.[6]

Predators edit

Aurelia labiata are fed upon by other cnidarians such as Phacellophora camtschatica and Cyanea capillata. Like many jellyfish, they are also consumed by sea turtles which are immune to their stings.[7]

References edit

  1. ^ Aurelia labiata (Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821). Retrieved through: World Register of Marine Species.
  2. ^ Gershwin, Lisa-Ann (2001). "Systematics and Biogeography of the Jellyfish Aurelia labiata (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)". The Biological Bulletin. 201 (1): 104–19. doi:10.2307/1543531. JSTOR 1543531. PMID 11526069. S2CID 33294412.
  3. ^ "Aurelia labiata (Moon jellyfish)".
  4. ^ Gershwin, Lisa-Ann (2001). "Systematics and Biogeography of the Jellyfish Aurelia labiata (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)". Biological Bulletin. 201 (1): 104–119. doi:10.2307/1543531. JSTOR 1543531. PMID 11526069. S2CID 33294412.
  5. ^ a b Lawley, Jonathan W.; Gamero-Mora, Edgar; Maronna, Maximiliano M.; Chiaverano, Luciano M.; Stampar, Sérgio N.; Hopcroft, Russell R.; Collins, Allen G.; Morandini, André C. (2021-09-09). "The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genus Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)". PeerJ. 9: e11954. doi:10.7717/peerj.11954. ISSN 2167-8359. PMC 8435205. PMID 34589293.
  6. ^ Albert, David J. (2008). "Adaptive behaviours of the jellyfish Aurelia labiata in Roscoe Bay on the west coast of Canada". Journal of Sea Research. 59 (3): 198–201. Bibcode:2008JSR....59..198A. doi:10.1016/j.seares.2007.11.002.
  7. ^ Graham, T.R.; Harvey, J.T. (2010). "The acoustic identification and enumeration of scyphozoan jellyfish, prey for leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea), off central California". ICES Journal of Marine Science. 67 (8): 1739–1948. doi:10.1093/icesjms/fsq112.

Further reading edit

  • Dawson, Michael N (2003). "Macro-morphological variation among cryptic species of the moon jellyfish, Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)". Marine Biology 143 (2): 369–379. doi:10.1007/s00227-003-1070-3.
  • Arai, Mary Needler. A Functional Biology of Scyphozoa. London: Chapman and Hall. pp. 68–206.