Crossota millsae
Species of cnidarian
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Crossota millsae is a species of deep-sea hydrozoan.[1] These small ocean-dwelling creatures are bioluminescent; the light emitted by these jellyfish serves as a defense or warning to other creatures.[2] Males and females have both been described, and it reproduces sexually. They are viviparous and females brood baby medusae attached to the gastric canals inside the sub-umbrellar space.
| Crossota millsae | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hydrozoa |
| Order: | Trachymedusae |
| Family: | Rhopalonematidae |
| Genus: | Crossota |
| Species: | C. millsae |
| Binomial name | |
| Crossota millsae Thuesen, 2003 | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Distribution
Crossota millsae was first described from the Pacific Ocean off Hawaii and California.[1] It was subsequently found in the Arctic Ocean[3][4] and in Guayanilla Canyon off Puerto Rico.[5] NOAA researchers who filmed this species in 2018 near Puerto Rico called it a "psychedelic" jellyfish.[6] It lives below 1 km depth in all four regions. Its highest abundance is found at 2500 m off California and 1250 m off Hawaii. In the Arctic Ocean, it has been observed sitting on the seafloor.[7]
Etymology
It was named after Dr. Claudia Mills, a marine scientist at the Friday Harbor Laboratories.
