| Spotted jelly | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Rhizostomeae |
| Family: | Mastigiidae |
| Genus: | Mastigias |
| Species: | M. papua |
| Binomial name | |
| Mastigias papua |
|
The Spotted Jelly or Lagoon Jelly (Mastigias papua) is a species of jellyfish. It lives mainly in the southern Pacific Ocean. Instead of one single mouth, they appear to have several smaller mouth openings in their oral arms. These feed on zooplankton. [1]
In Japan--especially along Pacific coast areas--these are sold as novelty pets, along with photoautotrophic phytoplankton, and are called takokurage (タコクラゲ), or "octopod" or "rammer" jellies.
They seem to have a lifespan of approximately 4 months and are active primarily in mid-summer to early-fall. [2]