Pelagia Noctiluca Most people do not give much thought to jellyfish. In fact, if you asked someone to tell you everything they know about jellyfish, they would probably dish out the basic facts: they live in water and they sting. However, jellyfish happen to be much more complex creatures than anyone gives them credit for. The Pelagia Noctiluca, also known as the purple striped jellyfish, is just one of the many species of jellyfish to lurk in our ocean’s waters. Pelagia Noctiluca are radially symmetric, meaning that they can be divided equally along a central axis. They are also bell-shaped and have eight long tentacles that originate from the mouth. To move around, the purple striped jellyfish’s bell throbs or they ride the water’s current (Monterey Bay Aquarium, 2015). In terms of reproduction, purple striped jellyfish reproduce sexually. However, the egg is fertilized externally after the sperm is released from the mouth. After the egg is fertilized, it develops planulae which then transition straight into ephyrae. The life cycle is finished once the ephyrae becomes medusa and eventually repeats the process (Animal Diversity Web, 2015). …show more content…
They capture their prey by releasing the nematocysts within their tentacles. These nematocysts contain toxins that are injected into the prey to kill them, which is one of the reasons they developed the nickname ‘mauve stinger.’ Pelagia Nocticula also defend themselves with the toxin filled nematocysts when they feel threatened or scared. After feeding, purple striped jellyfish then start the process of digestion both intracellularly and extracellularly in their gut cavity (Animal Diversity Web,