Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) (Linnaeus, 1758)

 

Synonyms: Aurelia flavidula, Medusa aurita, common jellyfish, moon jelly, saucer jelly

 

 

Aurelia aurita occurs in temperate and tropical waters of the North Atlantic (or cosmopolitan e.g., in WoRMS), usually near the coasts, in harbours and estuaries, including brackish waters. Often found in large swarms. The bell is flat to domed (15-40 cm in diameter), translucent, with four horseshoe-shaped gonad rings, four mouth-arms, and hundreds of fine marginal tentacles. Although it is capable of swimming by pulsations, it mostly drifts with the current, staying near the surface. A. aurita feeds on planktonic organisms, including small crustaceans, tunicate larvae, young polychaetes, protozoans, fish eggs, etc.

 

		D48235 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) off North Bimini, Bahamas Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D48236 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) off North Bimini, Bahamas Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D48234 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) off North Bimini, Bahamas Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D56469 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) Newman Sound, Newfoundland Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D48230 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) off North Bimini, Bahamas Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D48228 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) off North Bimini, Bahamas Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
		D56158 Moon Jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), stranded Terra Nova National Park Newfoundland, Canada Copyright © Michael Patrikeev All Rights Reserved
Unauthorized use of our images is NOT permitted.
Hotlinking or "pinning" of our images to websites is STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Copyright © Michael Patrikeev - All Rights Reserved