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.
