Cassiopea ornata explained

Cassiopea ornata are one of many Cnidarian species called the upside-down jellyfish.^{[1] [2] [3]} This pelagic jellyfish primarily lives in tropical waters, off the coast of Australia in shallow lagoons and around mangrove trees. The name "upside-down jellyfish" comes from the fact that it appears to be upside-down in its natural state—resting on its bell. Its bell is a golden/brown color and the tentacles vary with different shades of yellow. While the sighting of this particular species is rare, it is usually mistaken for vegetation like the other species in genus Cassiopea.

Reproduction

Cassiopea ornata are a part of the class, Scyphozoa, "the true jelly-fish." Members of this class are gonochoric. As a cnidarian, the cassiopea ornata jellyfish can reproduce both sexually and asexually. When in a medusa form, it will reproduce sexually. The male will produce sperm and release them into the water, while the female produces eggs and keeps them in order to obtain the males sperm and fertilize the eggs. When the jellyfish is in a polyp form, it will reproduce asexually by means of budding.

Feeding

Cassiopea ornata are photosynthetic due to a symbiotic relationship with the zooxanthellae that live below their tentacles. These algae feed on the sun and produce nutrients. The remaining nutrients become food for the jellyfish. These jellyfish are able to thrive because the mutualistic relationship with the algae and rarely have to hunt.

Geography

Cassiopea ornata are pelagic and reside in tropical, shallow waters. The jellyfish have been observed in various locations, including off the coast of Australia, Guam, Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea.^[4]

Further reading

• Nath . Ravi D. . Bedbrook . Claire N. . Abrams . Michael J. . Basinger . Ty . Bois . Justin S. . Prober . David A. . Sternberg . Paul W. . Gradinaru . Viviana . Goentoro . Lea . The Jellyfish Cassiopea Exhibits a Sleep-like State . Current Biology . October 2017 . 27 . 19 . 2984–2990.e3 . 10.1016/j.cub.2017.08.014. free . 5653286 .
• Keable . Stephen J. . Ahyong . Shane T. . First records of the invasive Upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae: Cassiopeidae), from coastal lakes of New South Wales, Australia . Records of the Australian Museum . 10 May 2016 . 10.3853/j.2201-4349.68.2016.1656. free .
• Holland . Brenden S. . Dawson . Michael N. . Crow . Gerald L. . Hofmann . Dietrich K. . Global phylogeography of Cassiopea (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae): molecular evidence for cryptic species and multiple invasions of the Hawaiian Islands . Marine Biology . November 2004 . 145 . 6 . 1119–1128 . 10.1007/s00227-004-1409-4.
• Weeks . Chelsea . Meagher . Shawn . Willink . Philip . McCravy . Kenneth W. . Does seawater acidification affect zooxanthellae density and health in the invasive upside‐down jellyfish, Cassiopea spp.? . Invertebrate Biology . September 2019 . 138 . 3 . 10.1111/ivb.12255.
• Mellas . Rachel E. . McIlroy . Shelby E. . Fitt . William K. . Coffroth . Mary Alice . Mary Alice Coffroth. Variation in symbiont uptake in the early ontogeny of the upside-down jellyfish, Cassiopea spp. . Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology . October 2014 . 459 . 38–44 . 10.1016/j.jembe.2014.04.026.
• Morandini . André C. . Stampar . Sergio N. . Maronna . Maximiliano M. . Da Silveira . Fábio L. . All non-indigenous species were introduced recently? The case study of Cassiopea (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) in Brazilian waters . Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom . March 2017 . 97 . 2 . 321–328 . 10.1017/s0025315416000400. 11449/162535 . free .
• Thornhill . Daniel J. . Daniel . Michael W. . LaJeunesse . Todd C. . Schmidt . Gregory W. . Fitt . William K. . Natural infections of aposymbiotic Cassiopea xamachana scyphistomae from environmental pools of Symbiodinium . Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology . October 2006 . 338 . 1 . 50–56 . 10.1016/j.jembe.2006.06.032.
• Ohdera . Aki H. . Abrams . Michael J. . Ames . Cheryl L. . Baker . David M. . Suescún-Bolívar . Luis P. . Collins . Allen G. . Freeman . Christopher J. . Gamero-Mora . Edgar . Goulet . Tamar L. . Hofmann . Dietrich K. . Jaimes-Becerra . Adrian . Long . Paul F. . Marques . Antonio C. . Miller . Laura A. . Mydlarz . Laura D. . Morandini . Andre C. . Newkirk . Casandra R. . Putri . Sastia P. . Samson . Julia E. . Stampar . Sérgio N. . Steinworth . Bailey . Templeman . Michelle . Thomé . Patricia E. . Vlok . Marli . Woodley . Cheryl M. . Wong . Jane C.Y. . Martindale . Mark Q. . Fitt . William K. . Medina . Mónica . Upside-Down but Headed in the Right Direction: Review of the Highly Versatile Cassiopea xamachana System . Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution . 9 April 2018 . 6 . 35 . 10.3389/fevo.2018.00035. free . 11449/176281 . free .

Notes and References

1. Web site: Cassiopea ornata Haeckel, 1880 . 2020-11-16 . www.gbif.org . . en.
2. Web site: Taxonomy browser (Cassiopea ornata) . 2020-11-16 . www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov . National Center for Biotechnology Information.
3. Web site: ITIS Standard Report Page: Cassiopea ornata . 2020-11-16 . www.itis.gov . Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
4. Web site: Cassiopea ornata . SeaLifeBase . 16 November 2020.