• Versuriga Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [362].

  Type species:

   Crossostoma anadyomene Maas, 1903 (=Versuriga anadyomene (Kramp, 1961)) by monotypy.
• Versura Haeckel, E. 1880. System der Acraspeden. Zweite Halfte des System der Medusen. Jena : G. Fischer. [606].

  Type species:

   Versura palmata Haeckel, 1880 by subsequent designation, see Mayer, A.G. 1910. Medusae of the World. Vol. 1 and 2, The Hydromedusae. Vol. 3, The Scyphomedusae. Washington, D.C. : Carnegie Institution 735 pp., 76 pls. [reprinted by A. Asher & Co., 1977] [685].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [362]

Distribution

States

Queensland, Western Australia

IMCRA

Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39)

Diagnosis

Versurigidae with mouth-arms three-winged, broad, with secondary lappets and with clubs and
filaments; without a terminal appendage; arm-disk with filaments

Diagnosis References

Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [362]

Notes

As detailed more fully by Kramp (1961b: 362), the type species of Haeckel's (1880: 606) genus Versura, namely V. palmata, was found to be a Mastigias ocellata by Stiasny (1922e: 538; erroneously indicated by Kramp as M. papua).

The generic name Crossostoma Agassiz (1862: 155), which was used by Maas (1903) for C. anadyomene, could not be used, because the type species was a Cassiopea and the genus was preoccupied for a Mollusc.

Kramp thus proposed the new genus Versuriga, with V. anadyomene as the only valid species.

History of changes

• Crossostoma anadyomene Maas, O. 1903. Die scyphomedusen der Siboga-Expedition. Siboga-Expeditie 11(livr. 10): 1–91, pls 1–12 [56].

  Type data:

   Syntype(s) Unknown 1 specimen, 20cm diameter, Siboga Station 314
  Comment: Possibly held at Leiden Museum.
• Versura anadyomene Mayer, A.G. 1910. Medusae of the World. Vol. 1 and 2, The Hydromedusae. Vol. 3, The Scyphomedusae. Washington, D.C. : Carnegie Institution 735 pp., 76 pls. [reprinted by A. Asher & Co., 1977] [686].

Taxonomic Decision for Synonymy

• Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [363]

Generic Combinations

• Versuriga anadyomene (Maas, 1903).

Distribution

States

Queensland

Extra Distribution Information

Reported in Australia by Stiasny (1931) from off Wilson Islet, Capricorn Group, QLD, in January 1930.

IMCRA

Central Eastern Shelf Transition (39)

Ecological Descriptors

Marine, neritic, planktonic.

Diagnosis

Up to 600 mm wide, quite flat, exumbrella with network of anastomosing furrows; in each omnt about eight large semicircular velar lappets alternating with small, narrow lappets; arm-disk with filaments; mouth-arms about as long as disk radius, strongly laterally compressed, with numerous flat, membraneous branches, with small club-shaped vesicles and on ventral side tapering filaments; perradial rhopalar canals broad, without anastomoses, the interradial narrow, with numerous anastomoses

Diagnosis References

Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [363]

Notes

Originally described into the genus Crossostoma, Mayer (1910: 686) moved the species to Haeckel's genus Versura because Crossostoma was preoccupied by Morris & Lycett (1850) for Mollusca. Stiasny (1922e: 538) then found that Haeckel's V. palmata, the type species of the genus, is actually a Mastigias papua, leaving the genus without a type species. Kramp (1961b: 362) thus renamed the genus as Versuriga, for the species V. anadyomene as the type and V. pinnata and V. vesicata considered doubtful.

General References

Stiasny, G. 1931. Über einige coelenterata von Australien. Zoologische Mededelingen (Leiden) 14(1–2): 27–42, 1 text-fig (distribution)

History of changes

• Versura vesicata Haeckel, E. 1880. System der Acraspeden. Zweite Halfte des System der Medusen. Jena : G. Fischer. [645].

Generic Combinations

• Versuriga vesicata (Haeckel, 1880).

Distribution

States

Western Australia

Extra Distribution Information

This species was described from material collected by Weber from the northwest coast of Australia. It has not been reported since.

Ecological Descriptors

Marine, planktonic.

Diagnosis

Versuriga with the umbrella flat, scutiform, with 8 deep ocular incisions, 208 coalescing marginal flaps (in each Octant 24 narrow rectangular velar flaps between 2 rudimentary ocular flaps). Subgenital ostia half as broad as the pillars between them. Arms about as long as the radius of the Umbrella, doubly pinnate, flat, spread out as long as broad.

Diagnosis References

Von Lendenfeld, R. 1884. The scyphomedusae of the southern hemisphere. Part III. - Conclusion. IV. Ordo - Discomedusae. Proceedings of the Linnean Society of New South Wales 9: 259–306 [296]

Notes

von Lendenfeld (1884d: 296) regarded this species as valid; Mayer (1910: 686) regarded it as possibly valid; Stiansy (1922e: 539) and Kramp (1961: 363) both considered it to be doubtful.

General References

Kramp, P.L. 1961. Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1-469 [363] (considered this species as doubtful)

Mayer, A.G. 1910. Medusae of the World. Vol. 1 and 2, The Hydromedusae. Vol. 3, The Scyphomedusae. Washington, D.C. : Carnegie Institution 735 pp., 76 pls. [reprinted by A. Asher & Co., 1977] [686] (regarded this species as possibly valid)

Von Lendenfeld, R. 1884. Local colour varieties of Scyphomedusa: A new species produced in forty years. Annals and Magazine of Natural History Ser. 5 14: 409–412 [296] (regarded this species as valid)

History of changes