(updated 14 October, 2000)

The new medusa that has been in northern Gulf waters for about 3 weeks. Large numbers are occurring (10/13/00) along the coast from Florida to at least Mississippi. The animals are large, many exceeding 70 cm in diameter. Based on what we have now, it looks like it belongs in Cyaniidae, but this is not Cyanea capillata, not do I think it is C. lamarckii.

Some general notes:

• There is no ring canal, branching radial canals terminate within the lappets.
• Gut is small, difficult to say whether it radiates as in Cyaniidae, but radial canals begin near the central gut cavity.
• Gonads (at least ovarian tissue) create large pouches that extend through openings and hang well down the oral lobes.
• Marginal tentacles set back from the bell margin in rows (=many tentacles), appear clustered along canals that terminate between lappets.

 Here are some pictures...

Many were swimming upside down at the surface like this one .

Held in one of our kreisels.

Close-up of tentacles.

Mesoglea is very clear (note the bell is folded to show this).

Lappets form a 'w', there are 8 per inter-rhopial space, 64 total. (8 rhopalia)

Bell margin. Grid is 1 cm2.

Bell margin.

Tentacle clusters (>5 total) extending from the cleft between adjacent lappets.

Sub-umbrellar texture.

This animal was 61 cm laid flat (aboral down).