Cotylorhiza
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Cotylorhiza | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Cotylorhiza tuberculata | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Rhizostomeae |
| Family: | Cepheidae |
| Genus: | Cotylorhiza Agassiz, 1862 |
| Species | |
Cotylorhiza is a genus of true jellyfish from the family Cepheidae.[1] The genus is found in the central-east Atlantic, Mediterranean, and western Indian Ocean.
The genus Cotylorhiza falls under the family Cepheidae, which includes jellyfish. Species in this genus include Cotylorhiza abulacrata, Cotylorhiza erythraea, and Cotylorhiza tuberculata, which is the most common species in the genus, as well as in the order Rhizostomeae. Characterized by eight short oral arms, this genus is pelagic and generally tinted white or yellow and include a sun shade at the top to protect arms and cnidoblasts.[2]
First discovered in the Sea of Marmara in the 1700s, the Cotylorhiza genus had major impacts on species in surrounding areas as it invaded the area.[3] Species reside in pelagic environments in southern European seas, where they impact ecological balances of ecosystem due to resource competitions and rapid reproduction patterns.[4] Cotylorhiza are among the most abundant jellyfish in the Mediterranean sea, though they are not native to this area.[citation needed]
Lifestyle
Feeding
Organisms consume zooxanthellae and zooplankton through their eight mouth arms, which transport consumed organisms to the stomach.[5] Juvenile individuals in the Cotylorhiza genus were found to have higher feeding rates than other jellyfish of the Cepheidae family, such as Rhizostoma pulmo.[6]
Reproduction and life cycle
Species begin as polyps attached to a substrate, and eventually grow into a medusa stage. The medusa are pelagic, swimming organisms in the jellyfish form.[2] In the medusa stage, sperm and egg cells release into the water and fertilize to form polyps on benthic substrates.[7] Jellyfish tend to be more abundant in spring seasons, as the temperature and resource concentrations are ideal for an increase in reproduction during this time.[8]
