Species Cyanea capillata (Linnaeus, 1758)

Museums

Regional Maps

• Medusa capillata Linnaeus, 1758.

Generic Combinations

• Cyanea capillata (Eschscholtz, 1829).

Distribution

Extra Distribution Information

Said to be cosmopolitan.

Ecological Descriptors

Carnivorous, epipelagic, estuary, marine, medusivorous, neritic, planktonic.

Diagnosis

Coronal and radial muscle folds with pit-like intrusions from gastrovascular sinus; thirteen to fifteen coronal folds between radial septa; average number of marginal tentacles in each group 70-150 or more; terminal ramifications of gastrovascular sinus pouches without anastomoses; colour usually yellowish brown or reddish; size usually up to 300-500 mm in diameter in British waters, extreme size up to 2,000 mm.

Diagnosis References

Russell, F.S. 1970. Medusae of the British Isles. II. Pelagic Scyphozoa with a Supplement to the First Volume on Hydromedusae. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press 284 pp. [106]

Notes

Reported in Australia from: NSW (Pope, 1953b). QLD (Pope, 1953b; Fenner & Fitzpatrick, 1986). Southern Australia (Coleman, 1981). VIC (Fancett, 1986, 1988; Fancett & Jenkins, 1988). Australia unspecified (Kramp, 1965a; Bennett, 1966; Edmonds, 1975; Southcott, 1982; Edgar, 1997, 2000).

Australian records appear to be erroneous.

General References

Russell, F.S. 1970. Medusae of the British Isles. II. Pelagic Scyphozoa with a Supplement to the First Volume on Hydromedusae. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press 284 pp. [106]

History of changes