This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Cannonball jellyfish is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Cannonball Jellyfish | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 A Cannonball Jellyfish in the water near Dog Island, Florida
|
||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||
| Stomolophus meleagris (Agassiz, 18601) |
The Cannonball Jellyfish (Stomolophus meleagris) is a species of jellyfish in the family Stomolophidae. Its common name derives from its similarity to a cannonball in shape and size. Its dome-shaped bell can reach 25 cm (10 inches) in diameter and the rim is sometimes colored with brown pigment.
Contents |
Habitat
Cannonball jellyfish live in warm, estuarian waters, with an average temperature of 23.1oC and average salinities of 33.8 ppt. (parts per thousand)2
Cannonball Jellyfish have been found throughout the Pacific Ocean and the mid-west Atlantic Ocean, having been sighted from New England to Brazil.3 However, Cannonball Jellyfish are most commonly known to inhabit the southeastern coast of the United States, including the Gulf Coast. On the southeast coast Stomolophus Meleagris are extremely abundant in the fall and summer months. During these months, they make up over 16% of the biomass in the shallow inshore areas.4
Diet
Cannonball Jellyfish eat mainly zooplankton such as veligers, and also all forms of red drum larvae. Cannonball jellyfish have a symbiotic relationship with the Portly spider crab, which also eats the small zooplankton. The crab feeds on the prey captured by the Cannonball and also on the mudusae of the jellyfish.3
Reproduction
The reproduction of Cannonball Jellyfish may be asexual or sexual. However, in most cnidarians sexual reproduction is not an imperative way of reproducing.5 During sexual reproduction, cannonballs shoot sperm out of their mouth. The sperm are then caught by another cannonball through the mouth and fertilization happens. The embryo begins to develop in specialized pouches found on the arms around the mouth. After about 3-5 hours the larvae fall and attach themselves to a hard structure. There they evolve into a polyp and catch small prey that swims by. After several days the polyp will detach and become a swimming ephyra, and will eventually turn into an adult jelly.6
Stomolophus Mealegris Toxin
Although Somolophus Mealegris does not commonly sting humans, it still has toxins which can cause cardiac problems in animals and humans. The toxin was verified to cause irregular heart rhythms and problems in the myocardial conduction pathways. Such completions are associated with different coelenterate toxins.7
References
- ^ Agassiz, Louis (1860). Contributions to the natural history of the United States of America. Vol. 3. Boston: Little Brown and Co.. pp. 301.
- ^ "Cannonball Jellyfish". Retrieved on 2008-11-17.
- ^ a b DuBose B. Griffin. "Cannonball Jellyfish" (PDF). South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. Retrieved on 2007-11-10.
- ^ SHALLOW WATER TRAWL SURVEY, SEMAP-SA. "Results of the Trawling Efforts in the Coastal Habitat of the South Atlantic Bight". SEAMAP-SA: 72. https://www.dnr.sc.gov/marine/mrri/SEAMAP/pdf/2002report.pdf. Retrieved on 3 November 2008.
- ^ Daphne Gail Fautin (2002). "Reproduction of Cnidaria". Canadian Journal of Zoology 80 (10): 1735–1754. doi:.
- ^ "Jellyfish". Marine Resources Division. Retrieved on 2008-11-17.
- ^ "Cardiac effects of Stomolophus meleagris (cabbage head jellyfish) toxin.". Retrieved on 2008-11-12.
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 5 December 2008, at 23:42.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Cannonball jellyfish".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.