Mastigias ocellatus, the golden medusa, is a species of jellyfish in the family Mastigiidae. It is native to the southern Pacific Ocean.
| Mastigias ocellatus | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification 
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| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Rhizostomeae |
| Family: | Mastigiidae |
| Genus: | Mastigias |
| Species: | M. o. [1]
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| Binomial name | |
| Mastigias ocellatus [1] (Modeer, 1791)
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| Synonyms | |
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Etymology
editThe specific epithet is derived from the latin ocellatus, "having small eyes", referring to the white spots on the edge of the bell that appear similar to small eyes.[2]
Description
editThe medusa of M. ocellatus grows to a diameter of about 15 cm (6 in). The surface of the bell is sculptured with small, polygonal nematocyst warts. There are 96 marginal lappets and eight 3-winged mouth arms, terminating in a bare, club-shaped extremity, the tip of which is blue. The bell is reddish-brown, with white spots near the edge, each with a brown centre and margin.[1][3]
Distribution
editM. ocellatus occurs in October in the southern Pacific Ocean. It is a pelagic species, and its method of reproduction has not been studied.[3]
References
edit- ^ a b van der Land, Jacob (2018). "Mastigias ocellatus". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- ^ Modeer A. (1791). Tentamen systematis medusarum stabiliendi. Nova acta physico-medica Academiae Caesareae Leopoldino-Carolinae Naturae Curiosum. 8(Appendix): 27.
- ^ a b "Mastigias ocellata (Madeer, 1791)". Information system of Scyphozoa, Cubozoa and Staurozoa. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
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