Scyphozoa Pelagia noctiluca (Forsskal, 1775): blooming on the coast of Gujarat, India and its predation by Anemonia viridis (Forsskal, 1775)

Abstract

The jellyfish bloom, i.e. the aggregation of Pelagia noctiluca, which occurred in January 2016 along the Shivrajpur coast facing the Arabian Sea, is reported. The jellyfish population was studied based on the Pelagia noctiluca individuals that were stranded in low tide pools and those that were washed ashore. Transects were laid to collect data on the jellyfish density. The oceanographic and physicochemical parameters at the time of bloom were studied. The probability of correlation between the time of bloom and the movement of P. noctiluca was considered. Additionally, mating and predation on the species were documented. We assume that the jellyfish bloom might have drifted to this coast due to the landlocked characteristics of the Arabian Sea and northward movements of sea currents. So far, jellyfish has been known to be the dietary preference of several vertebrate predators. Here, we report an interesting event of Anemonia viridis feeding on Pelagia noctiluca during their blooms in several intertidal pools on the coast.

Environmental suitability and detection of cnidarian invasive species at Dumai and Kuala Tanjung Port using eDNA

“…Pelagia noctiluca is an organism of the holoplanktonic class Scyphozoa (jellyfish) (does not have a polyp stage in its life cycle) known to reside in warm subtropical oceans in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the Mediterranean Sea [30] to the temperate waters of the North Sea [31]. P. noctiluca has a long-life cycle of 279 days in the medusa phase [32] shown in.…”