Deepstaria
Genus of jellyfishes
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Deepstaria is a genus of jellyfish known for their thin, sheet-like bodies. The genus is named after the Deep Star 4000, which collected the holotype of the type species, D. enigmatica.[1]
| Deepstaria | |
|---|---|
| |
| A large Deepstaria jellyfish | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Semaeostomeae |
| Family: | Ulmaridae |
| Genus: | Deepstaria Russell, 1967[1] |
| Type species | |
| Deepstaria enigmatica Russell, 1967 | |
| Species | |
|
See text | |
Description
Characteristic features of this genus include: a large, thin umbrella, lack of tentacles, and long oral arms.[2] Due to lack of tentacles and large size, Deepstaria captures prey by encapsulating the prey with its whole body[3] and digesting through their gastro-vascular canal system,[4] allowing for proper distribution of nutrition, circulation of oxygen, and waste removal.
Species list
As of 2017[update], WoRMS recognizes two species within the genus:[5]
- Deepstaria enigmatica Russell, 1967[1]
- Deepstaria reticulum Larson, Madin & Harbison, 1988[2]
