Catostylus tagi
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Catostylus tagi | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Specimen at Musée zoologique de la ville de Strasbourg | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Rhizostomeae |
| Family: | Catostylidae |
| Genus: | Catostylus |
| Species: | C. tagi |
| Binomial name | |
| Catostylus tagi Haekel, 1869 | |
Catostylus tagi is a species of jellyfish from warmer parts of the East Atlantic Ocean and since the 2000s also found in the Mediterranean Sea.[1][2] It is the only member of the family Catostylidae that is found in Europe,[3] and it is a common species in the Tagus estuary in Portugal.[4] It has collagen in its bell which is currently being researched to see if it has biomedical uses as an intercellular matrix. The species is named after the Tagus river.[5]
Typical Catostylus with chunky appendages and tentacle to go with each. This jellyfish has a sting that causes light pain and a skin rash, but generally poses no serious threat.[3] It is up to 65 cm (26 in) in bell diameter,[6] but a more typical size is 25 cm (10 in) in diameter and 2.5 kg (5.5 lb) in weight.[3] Its colour is variable and can be blue-white, cream, brown, or off-white. The exumbrellar grooves are reddish or purplish brown.[7] C. tagi has gonads along the edge of its stomach in an X shape. It has the octant formation typical of Catostylus jellies, the height of the octants are also variable.
Food
Eats both zooplankton and phytoplankton, certain crustaceans, small fish, and marine snow.
