Atolla jellyfish

Atolla lanat
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Scyphozoa
Order: Coronatae
Family: Atollidae
Genus: Atolla
Species: Atolla wyvillei
Haeckel, 1880[1]

Atolla wyvillei, also known as Atolla jellyfish or Coronate medusa, is a species of deep-sea crown jellyfish (Scyphozoa: Coronatae).[1] It lives in oceans around the world.[2] Like many species of mid-water animals, it is deep red in color. This species was named in honor of Sir Charles Wyville Thomson, chief scientist on the Challenger expedition.

It typically has 20 marginal tentacles and one hypertrophied tentacle which is larger than the rest.[3] This long trailing tentacle is thought to facilitate prey capture.[4]

This species is bioluminescent.[5] When attacked, it will launch a series of flashes, whose function is to draw predators who will be more interested in the attacker than itself. This has earned the animal the nickname "alarm jellyfish".[6]

Marine biologist Edith Widder created a device based on the Atolla jellyfish's distress flashes called the E-jelly, which has been used successfully and efficiently to lure in mysterious and rarely seen deep-sea animals for filming and documentation. The device's mimicry of the live animal was such that it successfully lured in a giant squid in an expedition financed by Discovery Channel and NHK to find the creature.[7]

References

  1. 1 2 Cornelius, P. (2012). Atolla wyvillei. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=135282 on 2012-12-17
  2. ↑ Russell, F.S., 1970. The medusae of the British Isles. II. Pelagic Scyphozoa with a supplement to the first volume on Hydromedusae. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 284 pp.
  3. ↑ Boltovskoy, D., editor, 1999. South Atlantic Marine Zooplankton cited in Marine Species Identification Portal: http://species-identification.org/species.php?species_group=zsao&id=2415
  4. ↑ Hunt, J.C. & D.J. Lindsay, 1998. Observations on the behavior of Atolla (Scyphozoa: Coronatae) and Nanomia (Hydrozoa: Physonectae): use of the hypertrophied tentacle in prey capture. Plankton Biology and Ecology, 45, 239-242.
  5. ↑ Herring, P.J. & E.A. Widder, 2004. Bioluminescence of deep-sea coronate medusae (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). Marine Biology, 146: 39-51
  6. ↑ Widder, E.A. "Eye in the Sea". Operation Deep Scope 2005. accessdate=10 February 2013.
  7. ↑ http://www.ted.com/talks/edith_widder_how_we_found_the_giant_squid/transcript


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