Aequorea vitrina explained

Aequorea vitrina, commonly called the crystal jellyfish, crystal jelly, lampshade or disk jellyfish,^[1] is a species of hydrozoan in the family Aequoreidae.^{[2] [3]}

The specific name vitrina means "glassy", due to its transparent appearance; it should not be confused with Aequorea victoria, which is also sometimes called the crystal jelly.

Description

Aequorea vitrina in its medusa (adult) stage has a diameter of ; thick in the centre, gradually thinning towards margin. Its stomach is about half the width of the disc. It has 60–100 radial canals, its gonads extend along almost their entire length. It has 200+ tentacles, of or more,^[1] and 1 or 2 statocysts between radial canals.^[4]

Distribution

Aequorea vitrina is found in the neritic zone in waters surrounding Great Britain and Ireland and in the North Sea.^{[5] [6] [7]} In 2017 it was recorded in the Sea of Marmara as an invasive species.^{[8] [9]}

Behaviour

Feeds on brine shrimp (Artemia salina) and rotifers (Brachionus plicatilis). It is bioluminescent due to aequorin and green fluorescent protein.^[1]

Notes and References

1. Book: Santhanam, Ramasamy. Biology and Ecology of Venomous Marine Cnidarians. January 31, 2020. Springer Nature. 9789811516030 . Google Books.
2. Web site: Aequorea vitrina Gosse, 1853 - A Crystal jelly (Hydrozoa images). www.aphotomarine.com.
3. Book: Jellyfish Blooms: New Problems and Solutions. Jennifer E.. Purcell. Dror L.. Angel. March 21, 2015. Springer. 9789048195411 . Google Books.
4. Web site: Marine Species Identification Portal : Aequorea vitrina. species-identification.org.
5. Web site: Marine Plankton: A practical guide to ecology, methodology, and taxonomy. Claudia. Castellani. Martin. Edwards. September 1, 2017. Oxford University Press. Google Books.
6. Web site: Marine Species Identification Portal : Aequorea vitrina. species-identification.org.
7. The crystal jellyfish (Aequorea vitrina) in Loch Bracadale, Isle of Skye, Scotland. M. O’Reilly. P. Semler. November 6, 2020. The Glasgow Naturalist. 27. 2. 67–69. 10.37208/tgn27214. 219485791 .
8. First record of Aequorea vitrina Gosse, 1853 (Hydrozoa) from the Sea of Marmara: a potential invader for the Mediterranean Sea. I. Noyan. Yilmaz. Melek. Isinibilir. Denizhan. Vardar. Fuat. Dursun. April 3, 2017. Zoology in the Middle East. 63. 2. 178–180. Taylor and Francis+NEJM. 10.1080/09397140.2017.1299334. 90689171 .
9. Book: Nations, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United. Non-indigenous species in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea. July 29, 2021. Food & Agriculture Org.. 9789251347751 . Google Books.