Tripedalia cystophora
Tripedalia cystophora | |
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Scientific classification | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Cubozoa |
Order: | Carybdeida |
Family: | Tripedaliidae |
Genus: | Tripedalia |
Species: | T. cystophora
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Binomial name | |
Tripedalia cystophora Conant, 1897[1]
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Tripedalia cystophora is a small species of box jellyfish in the family Tripedaliidae. It is native to the Caribbean Sea and the Central Indo-Pacific.
Description
The
Distribution and habitat
The World Register of Marine Species lists the Caribbean Sea and the Central Indo-Pacific as habitats, but marks them as unreviewed.[1] Colonies of Tripedalia cystophora are found off the north coast of South America in the Atlantic Ocean.[2] One colony in Puerto Rico, in the Caribbean Sea, was found inhabiting the margins of mangrove lagoons.[5]
Biology
Box jellyfish swim by expanding and contracting their bells vigorously.[6] During the day Tripedalia cystophora is mostly to be found within 20 cm (8 in) of the surface, in sunlit positions among the prop roots of mangroves. These warm sunlit areas are where its main food item, the copepod Dioithona oculata, are to be found during the day.[5] Dense swarms of these copepods form in the illuminated patches of water where shafts of sunlight shine through the mangrove canopy.[7] Tripedalia cystophora forages by allowing itself to sink slowly towards the bottom with its tentacles spread out around it to snare its prey.[8]
Box jellyfish have complex visual systems. Each of the four
At night Tripedalia cystophora moves away from the mangroves a few metres further into the shallow lagoon and sinks to the bottom. It is not clear whether it settles on the bed of the lagoon or whether it swims slowly about among the seagrasses and green algae. This is because when an investigator shines a light to observe it, it reacts by rising towards the surface.[5] Each individual medusa of Tripedalia cystophora is gonochoristic (either male or female) and produces gametes. After fertilisation, the zygote develops into a planula larva which is brooded by the female inside the bell.[2] It is later expelled and settles to the bottom where it undergoes metamorphosis into a polyp about 1 mm (0.04 in) long with four, knob-tipped tentacles surrounding a mouth. This may produce further polyps by budding and these creep across the substrate before attaching themselves. The oral end of each polyp later differentiates into a proto-medusa which detaches itself from the base of the polyp to become a juvenile medusa and complete the life cycle.[6][10]
References
- ^ a b Collins, Allen G. (2013). "Tripedalia cystophora Conant, 1897". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- ^ a b c d D. Boltovskoy (ed.). "Tripedalia cystophora". Zooplankton of the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2014-03-26.
- ^ D. Boltovskoy (ed.). "Velarium definition". Zooplankton of the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- ^ D. Boltovskoy (ed.). "Manubrium definition". Zooplankton of the South Atlantic Ocean. Marine Species Identification Portal. Retrieved 2014-04-22.
- ^ S2CID 23945845.
- ^ ISBN 978-81-315-0104-7.)
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ S2CID 82856486.
- ^ PMID 17921163.
- PMID 25047715.
- .