Carybdea murrayana, the South African box jellyfish, is a venomous species of cnidarian, in the small family Carybdeidae within the class Cubozoa.
| Carybdea murrayana | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Cubozoa |
| Order: | Carybdeida |
| Family: | Carybdeidae |
| Genus: | Carybdea |
| Species: | C. murrayana
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| Binomial name | |
| Carybdea murrayana Haeckel, 1880[1]
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| Synonyms | |
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Description
editThis small box jellyfish grows up to 7 cm (2.8 in) across and may have tentacles of up to 2 m (6.6 ft) in total length. It has a transparent box-shaped bell with a very long tentacle trailing from each corner.[2]
The animal is described as being robust and having a well sculpted in particular, single rooted with multiple stems,[clarification needed] velarial canals 2 per octant, pedalia knee bend upwards turned volcano shaped. Also known to have a brownish pigmentation of the phacellae and pedalia. [3]
Distribution
editThis jellyfish is found from the north of Namibia around the South African coast to Port Elizabeth from the surface to a depth of at least 35 m (115 ft) underwater.
Ecology
editThis jellyfish is often seen in swarms. The tentacles have a painful sting, although the sting is not known to be fatal. It is eaten by the sunfishes, Mola mola[4] and Mola ramsayi, as well as the slender sunfish, Ranzania laevis.
References
edit
- ^ Collins, Allen G. (2014). "Carybdea branchi Gershwin & Gibbons, 2009". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
- ^ Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa. ISBN 978-1-77007-772-0.
- ^ Acevedo et al. 2019. Revision of the genus Carybdea (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeidae): clarifying the identity of its type species Carybdea marsupialis. Zootaxa.
- ^ Jones, Georgina. A field guide to the marine animals of the Cape Peninsula. SURG, Cape Town, 2008. ISBN 978-0-620-41639-9