Lions Mane Jellyfish (species: Cyanea sp. 2) in Lizard Island area: all known taxa (Lizard Island Field Guide)
Cyanea sp. 2
Lions Mane Jellyfish


©Robert Streit: Cyanea sp. 2 near the surface in the Lizard Island lagoon. Bell diameter estimated at 30 to 40 cm, overall height with tentacles more than 50 cm.

©Anne Hoggett: A badly damaged individual that appears to be Cyanea sp. 2 due to large size and broad brown margin to bell. Watson's Bay, Lizard Island.
Kingdom Animalia
Phylum Cnidaria
Class Scyphozoa
Order Semaeostomeae
Family Cyaneidae
Genus Cyanea
Species Cyanea sp. 2

Colours

                   

Distinguishing features

A large jellyfish with a pink/purple bell with a broad dark margin and small, scattered dark patches; numerous dense narrow pink tentacles.

Size

  • Up to 40 cm (estimated bell diameter)
  • Up to 100 cm (reported bell diameter for this genus)

Synonyms

Distribution

Local abundance

  • Lizard Island: Usually absent from this area. At least two individuals with broad brown bell margins were seen in Jan 2019, at the same time as several individuals of Cyanea sp. 1 (which has an evenly grey/white bell) were also reported. It seems odd that two similar and rare species should appear at the same time, so maybe it's a single variable species.

Web resources