Stygiomedusa gigantea
| Stygiomedusa gigantea | |
|---|---|
| File:Stygiomedusa Gigantea ov.jpg | |
| Illustration of Stygiomedusa gigantea | |
Scientific classification  |
|
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Semaeostomeae |
| Family: | Ulmaridae |
| Genus: | Stygiomedusa |
| Species: |
S. gigantea
|
| Binomial name | |
| Stygiomedusa gigantea (Browne, 1910)[1]
|
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Diplulmaris gigantea |
|
Stygiomedusa gigantea is a species of giant deep sea jellyfish in the Ulmaridae family.[2]
With only 115 sightings in the last 110 years it is a jellyfish that is rarely seen, but believed to be widespread throughout the world. It is thought to be one of the largest invertebrate predators in the deep sea ecosystem. The jellyfish has an umbrella-shaped bell that can be up to a metre wide. It also has four "paddle-like" arms up to 10 metres long, which, as they lack stinging tentacles, may be used instead to trap prey.[3]
Giant Stygiomedusa have been observed and filmed off the Pacific coast of the United States by scientists and by ROVs off the coast of Japan and in the Gulf of Mexico.[3][4]
