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

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

Etymology

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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

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The medusa of M. 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 3-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

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M. 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

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