Cross Jelly • Mitrocoma cellularia
Cross jellies found near the docks in Pruth Bay, Calvert Island. Photos by Gillian Harvey (top left), Chris Fretwell (right), and Karen Chan (bottom left).
Identification
The cross jelly gets its name from its major identifying feature, the cross which is formed by four canals that radiate out from its stomach. Hundreds of thin white tentacles fringe the edge of the jelly's bell. This species reaches around four inches in diameter.
Habitat & Range
This jellyfish can be found in the photic (sunlit) zone of waters close to shore, from northern Alaska to central California. It can sometimes be found in dense concentrations.
Intriguing Info
The polyp form of this species has not yet been found in the wild. The medusae, pictured above, can be found from May to late fall. They are bioluminescent, and so will glow when disturbed.
Studies at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute suggest that this species may be able to sense its prey, meaning it may not only drift with currents waiting for chance encounters with prey — it might actually be able to pursue food sources in some way.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/493918-Mitrocoma-cellularia
The cross jelly gets its name from its major identifying feature, the cross which is formed by four canals that radiate out from its stomach. Hundreds of thin white tentacles fringe the edge of the jelly's bell. This species reaches around four inches in diameter.
Habitat & Range
This jellyfish can be found in the photic (sunlit) zone of waters close to shore, from northern Alaska to central California. It can sometimes be found in dense concentrations.
Intriguing Info
The polyp form of this species has not yet been found in the wild. The medusae, pictured above, can be found from May to late fall. They are bioluminescent, and so will glow when disturbed.
Studies at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute suggest that this species may be able to sense its prey, meaning it may not only drift with currents waiting for chance encounters with prey — it might actually be able to pursue food sources in some way.
iNaturalist
https://www.inaturalist.org/taxa/493918-Mitrocoma-cellularia
References
Cowles, D. (2009). Mitrocoma cellularia (A. Agassiz, 1865). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 06/06/2013
Cross Jelly. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Accessed 06/06/2013
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2013).
Cowles, D. (2009). Mitrocoma cellularia (A. Agassiz, 1865). Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Rosario Beach Marine Laboratory. Accessed 06/06/2013
Cross Jelly. Monterey Bay Aquarium. Monterey Bay Aquarium Foundation. Accessed 06/06/2013
Authors and editors of page
Kelly Fretwell and Brian Starzomski (2013).