''Drymonema'' is a genus of
true jellyfish
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish (or "true jellies").
The class name Scyphozoa comes from the Greek word ''skyphos'' (), denoting a kind of drinking cup and alluding to the ...
, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: ''
Drymonema dalmatinum
''Drymonema'' is a genus of true jellyfish, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: '' Drymonema dalmatinum'', '' Drymonema gorgo'', and '' Drymonema larsoni'', which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean ...
'', ''
Drymonema gorgo
''Drymonema'' is a genus of true jellyfish, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: ''Drymonema dalmatinum'', '' Drymonema gorgo'', and '' Drymonema larsoni'', which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean ...
'', and ''
Drymonema larsoni
''Drymonema larsoni'' (also known as the "pink meanie") is a species of jellyfish belonging to the class Scyphozoa. Following a mass sighting in 2000 in the Gulf of Mexico, the species and the rest of its genus were put in their own family, a new ...
'', which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea.
Classification
''Drymonema'' was described as a distinct family based on DNA evidence and morphological analysis, in 2011. The first species described, ''D. larsoni'', was named after the scientist
Ronald G. Larson who pioneered work on the species in the 1980s. The new family Drymonematidae was the first new addition of true jellyfish (
scyphozoans
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish (or "true jellies").
The class name Scyphozoa comes from the Greek word ''skyphos'' (), denoting a kind of drinking cup and alluding to the ...
) described since 1921.
Species
*''
Drymonema dalmatinum
''Drymonema'' is a genus of true jellyfish, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: '' Drymonema dalmatinum'', '' Drymonema gorgo'', and '' Drymonema larsoni'', which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean ...
''
Haeckel, 1880
*''
Drymonema gorgo
''Drymonema'' is a genus of true jellyfish, placed in its own family, the Drymonematidae. There are three species: ''Drymonema dalmatinum'', '' Drymonema gorgo'', and '' Drymonema larsoni'', which are found in the Gulf of Mexico, Atlantic Ocean ...
''
F. Müller, 1883
*''
Drymonema larsoni
''Drymonema larsoni'' (also known as the "pink meanie") is a species of jellyfish belonging to the class Scyphozoa. Following a mass sighting in 2000 in the Gulf of Mexico, the species and the rest of its genus were put in their own family, a new ...
''
Bayha & Dawson, 2010
''Drymonema larsoni'' "Pink Meanie"
''Drymonema larsoni'' is a species
that forms large, dangerous blooms in the northern area of the Gulf of Mexico. ''Drymonema larsoni'' get their name "pink meanie" from their predation and eating habits. The pink meanies were found to feed on the moon jellyfish (''
Aurelia Aurelia may refer to:
People
* Version of feminine given name Aurélie
* Aurelia (mother of Caesar)
* Aurelia gens, a Roman family
* Aurelia Browder, American civil rights activist
* Astrud Aurelia, American drag queen
Science
* ''Aurelia'' (c ...
'' sp.) in the northern section of the Gulf of Mexico.
''Drymonema dalmatinum'' "Stinging cauliflower"
''Drymonema dalmatinum'' is found in the central part of the Atlantic Ocean and along the Mediterranean Sea. The stinging cauliflower is a pale pink to golden brown coloration with a large number of clear tentacles, along with long/thin oral arms.
Like the pinke meanie, ''Drymonema dalmatinum'' also feeds on species of moon jellyfish such as ''Aurelia'' sp.
''Drymonema gorgo''
''Drymonema gorgo'' is found in the western South Atlantic.
Morphology
The morphology of ''Drymonema'' is defined by:
[
* Allometric growth of the bell margin.
* Ring shaped zone of tentacles.
* Loss of gastric filaments with the development/ontogeny of an organism.
]
Reproduction
The reproduction of the genus ''Drymonema'' is similar to the reproduction of all Scyphozoa
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish (or "true jellies").
The class name Scyphozoa comes from the Greek word ''skyphos'' (), denoting a kind of drinking cup and alluding to the ...
ns. These organisms can undergo both sexual (medusa) and asexual (polyp) reproduction processes. In the case of a medusa, sexual reproduction is external, where the males release the sperm while the females release eggs into the water and they fuse. This fusion results in free swimming planula larva that eventually sinks to the bottom or finds a hard surface to attach to. Once attached the planula larva starts metamorphosis and becomes a polyp. This polyp will reproduce asexually, most commonly using budding, and producing ephryae which mature into a medusa to begin the life cycle process over again. Scyphozoans and ''Drymonema'' species alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction stages.
Feeding
* Translucent tentacles used for grasping and feeding.
* ''Drymonema'' species eat an abundant amount of moon jellyfish (''Aurelia'' sp.)
* Food ingested and waste excreted must come out of the same opening, (no digestive tract).
References
External links
Scientists discover a new jellyfish species and family – "pink meanie" makes cover of ''Biological Bulletin''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q5309733
Drymonematidae
Scyphozoan genera
Taxa named by Ernst Haeckel