Narcomedusae
Bathykorus bouilloni (Aeginidae)
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hydrozoa
Subclass: Trachylinae
Order: Narcomedusae
Haeckel, 1879[1]
Families

Narcomedusae is an order of hydrozoans in the subclass Trachylinae.[2] Members of this order do not normally have a polyp stage. The medusa has a dome-shaped bell with thin sides. The tentacles are attached above the lobed margin of the bell with usually a gastric pouch above each. There are no bulbs on the tentacles and no radial canals. Narcomedusans are mostly inhabitants of the open sea and deep waters. They can be found in the Mediterranean in large numbers.[3]

Feeding Behavior

Narcomedusae use their tentacles to catch large, fast-moving prey. They do this by holding their tentacles perpendicular to the direction they are swimming to cover a larger area. If something is caught they bend the tentacle inwards and coil them at the tips to their mouths.[4][5]

Reproductive Features

Narcomedusae are hermaphroditic, meaning that they have both male and female reproductive organs. As a result they release their eggs and sperm into the water which is also where fertilization happens.[6] Once the eggs are fertilized they then develop into a stage called planula which can be defined as a larval stage and it then lives in the seafloor. These jellyfish are capable of reproducing all year round, although this depends on their reproductive cycle and patterns as they fluctuate depending on factors such as environmental conditions and food availability.

References

  1. ^ Narcomedusae World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-11-07.
  2. ^ Schuchert, Peter; Ville-ge.ch (2005). "Hydrozoan Phylogeny and Classification". Retrieved 24 February 2010.
  3. ^ Order Narcomedusae – Haeckel, 1879 The Hydrozoa Directory. Retrieved 6 November 2011.
  4. ^ Raskoff, .K. Foraging, prey capture, and gut contents of the mesopelagic narcomedusa Solmissus spp. (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa). Marine Biology 141, 1099–1107 (2002). https://rdcu.be/cJjXC. Retrieved 3 March 2022
  5. ^ Larson, Ronald J.; Mills, Claudia E.; Harbison, G. Richard (1989). "In Situ Foraging and Feeding Behaviour of Narcomedusae (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa)". Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. 69 (4): 785–794. doi:10.1017/s002531540003215x. ISSN 0025-3154.
  6. ^ a b Lucas, Cathy H.; Reed, Adam J. (February 2009). "Observations on the life histories of the narcomedusae Aeginura grimaldii, Cunina peregrina and Solmissus incisa from the western North Atlantic". Marine Biology. 156 (3): 373–379. doi:10.1007/s00227-008-1089-6. ISSN 0025-3162.

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