Best Scyphozoa

The giant phantom jellyfish, Stygiomedusa gigantea, is a rarely observed deep-sea scyphozoan found in oceans around the world. It has a bell that can approach one meter across and four broad, ribbonlike oral arms that may extend several meters, rather than the numerous slender tentacles associated w...

Aurelia aurita, commonly called the moon jellyfish, is a translucent scyphozoan jellyfish recognizable by four horseshoe shaped gonads visible through its bell. It feeds mainly on small plankton captured with mucus and cilia and occurs in coastal and sheltered waters across a broad geographic range,...

Aurelia aurita, commonly called the moon jellyfish, is a translucent scyphozoan occurring in temperate and tropical coastal waters. Adults are commonly recognized by four horseshoe-shaped gonads visible through the bell, although identification within the genus Aurelia can require genetic analysis....

Nemopilema nomurai is one of the largest jellyfish in the world, with bells regularly exceeding 2 metres in diameter and weights over 200 kg, and its blooms in the Sea of Japan have repeatedly damaged Japanese fishing nets.

Deepstaria enigmatica is a deep-sea jellyfish recognized by its unusually thin, broad bell, which can fold into a baglike form around prey. The species was formally described in 1967 and belongs to the family Ulmaridae within the true jellyfishes, or Scyphozoa. Because it inhabits deep pelagic water...

Mastigias papua inhabits coastal lagoons across the Indo-Pacific and is famous for the landlocked populations in Jellyfish Lake, Palau, which lost their stinging ability due to predator-free isolation.

Atolla wyvillei is a deep-sea scyphozoan jellyfish in the order Coronatae, recorded from oceans around the world. Its bell is typically dark red, and it can produce a conspicuous pattern of bioluminescent flashes when attacked. This display has been described as a “burglar alarm” because the light m...

Stomolophus nomurai, commonly called Nomura's jellyfish, is a very large rhizostome jellyfish found in waters of East Asia, including the Yellow Sea, East China Sea, and Sea of Japan. Mature individuals can develop bells approaching or exceeding two meters in diameter and weigh well over 100 kilogra...

The Pacific sea nettle, Chrysaora fuscescens, is a large scyphozoan jellyfish native to the northeastern Pacific Ocean. It has a golden-brown or amber bell with pale radial markings and long oral arms and tentacles equipped with stinging cells used to capture prey. The species feeds mainly on zoopla...

Cassiopea xamachana is a species of upside-down jellyfish found in shallow tropical waters of the western Atlantic, including the Caribbean. It commonly rests bell-down on sandy or muddy bottoms in mangroves and lagoons, positioning its branching oral arms toward sunlight. Photosynthetic dinoflagell...

The mauve stinger, Pelagia noctiluca, is a pelagic jellyfish in the class Scyphozoa, widely recorded in the Mediterranean Sea and adjoining Atlantic waters. Its bell and tentacles bear stinging cells that capture prey and can produce painful skin reactions in swimmers. The species is bioluminescent,...

The black sea nettle, Chrysaora achlyos, is a large scyphozoan jellyfish found in the eastern Pacific, particularly in coastal waters off California and Baja California. It has a dark purple to nearly black bell, pale oral arms, and long trailing tentacles equipped with stinging cells. The species w...

Cotylorhiza tuberculata is a scyphozoan jellyfish native to the Mediterranean Sea and nearby waters. Its broad yellowish bell has a raised orange or brown center, producing the resemblance that gives the species its common name, fried egg jellyfish. It has branching oral arms rather than long margin...

The purple-striped jellyfish, Chrysaora colorata, is a scyphozoan jellyfish found in the eastern Pacific Ocean, especially in waters off California. Adults are recognized by dark purple radial stripes on a pale bell and by long tentacles and folded oral arms that trail beneath the body. It captures...

The barrel jellyfish, Rhizostoma pulmo, is a large scyphozoan jellyfish found in the Mediterranean Sea and the northeastern Atlantic Ocean. Its firm, dome-shaped bell can reach about 90 centimeters in diameter, although most individuals are smaller, and its eight thick oral arms lack the long margin...

The helmet jellyfish, Periphylla periphylla, is a deep-sea coronate scyphozoan distributed across the world's oceans. It is reddish-brown, bioluminescent, and adapted to dim waters, where its light-sensitive life cycle differs from that of many jellyfish that develop in shallower environments. The s...

Chrysaora hysoscella, commonly called the compass jellyfish, is a scyphozoan jellyfish found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, adjoining seas, and the Mediterranean. It is recognized by dark, radiating V-shaped markings on its bell that resemble the points of a compass. Like related sea nettles, i...

Chrysaora hysoscella, commonly called the compass jellyfish, is a true jellyfish found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea. Its translucent, saucer-shaped bell bears 16 distinctive brown radial markings resembling the points of a compass. It uses trailin...

The Atlantic sea nettle, Chrysaora quinquecirrha, is a true jellyfish found in estuarine and coastal waters along the Atlantic and Gulf coasts of the United States. It has a bell-shaped body with trailing tentacles equipped with stinging cells used to capture zooplankton and other small prey. Season...

Cassiopea andromeda is a species of upside-down jellyfish found in shallow tropical and subtropical waters of the Indo-Pacific region. Rather than swimming continuously in open water, it commonly rests with its bell against the seafloor and its branching oral arms directed upward. Its tissues contai...

Rhizostoma luteum is a giant barrel jellyfish found primarily in the eastern Atlantic and Mediterranean, with bells that can exceed 90 cm, and is one of the least studied large medusae in European waters.

A rhizostome jellyfish widely distributed across the Indo-Pacific, recognized by the distinctive crown-like cauliflower texture covering its blue-purple bell surface.

Chrysaora melanaster, commonly called the brown sea nettle or northern sea nettle, is a scyphozoan jellyfish of the North Pacific, including the Bering Sea. It has a brownish or reddish bell that can reach roughly 60 centimeters in diameter, with long tentacles used to capture plankton and small swi...

Deepstaria reticulum is a rarely observed deep-sea jellyfish in the family Ulmaridae. It is distinguished by a broad, extremely thin bell marked by a conspicuous branching network of canals, giving it a reticulated appearance. Rather than relying on long marginal tentacles, it can expand its flexibl...

Cephea cephea, commonly called the cauliflower jellyfish or crown jellyfish, is a scyphozoan found in warm Indo-Pacific waters, including the Red Sea. It belongs to the order Rhizostomeae and has a domed bell with prominent wartlike projections that create its characteristic cauliflower appearance....

Chrysaora melanaster, commonly called the northern sea nettle, is a large scyphozoan jellyfish found in the northern Pacific, particularly the Bering Sea and adjacent subarctic waters. It is a pelagic predator that consumes zooplankton, including crustaceans, as well as fish eggs and larvae. Its abu...

Rhopilema nomadica, commonly called the nomad jellyfish, is a large rhizostome jellyfish native to tropical waters of the Indian Ocean. It entered the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and was recorded off Israel in the 1970s, subsequently spreading through parts of the eastern Mediterranean. Sea...

Drymonema dalmatinum is a large scyphozoan jellyfish found in the Mediterranean Sea. It is an infrequently recorded predator of other jellyfish, particularly moon jellies of the genus Aurelia, and its appearance can coincide with localized bloom events. Reports are especially associated with parts o...

The spotted jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata, is a large scyphozoan jellyfish native to the western Pacific, recognizable by the pale spots scattered across its rounded bell. It contains symbiotic algae in its tissues and also filter-feeds on zooplankton, using multiple oral arms rather than long mar...