Aurelia aurita

(Linnaeus, 1758)

Vernacular names
English : Moon jelly
French : Méduse commune, Méduse Aurélie

Classification
Class : Scyphozoa
Order : Semaeostomeae
Family : Ulmaridae
Notes : No subspecies known.

Identification
Adults can reach up to 40 cm in diameter. Cup-shaped bell fringed with hundreds of hair-like tentacles. Horseshoe or ear-shaped gonads visible under the bell. Coloration is white with a slight golden tinge.

Range and habitat
The species occurs in most temperate and tropical seas around the world, Atlantic, Pacific and Indian oceans. Always found close to the surface, both near and far from coasts.

Conservation
IUCN RED LIST : NOT LISTED
CITES : Not listed
Status : The species has yet to be assessed in the Red List but so far seems to be very common to abundant in most of its range.
Ex-Situ Programs : None known

Observation

 

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