A Japanese and Brazilian workforce of scientists discovered a cool new jellyfish with a distinguishing mark. The St. George’s cross medusa (Santjordia pagesi or S. pagesi) is a brand new medusa jellyfish species that was discovered about 2,664 ft deep within the Pacific Ocean. It lives in a deep-sea volcanic construction referred to as the Sumisu Caldera. This sizzling, hydrothermally energetic caldera is about six miles throughout and is positioned off the coast of Japan’s Ogasawara Islands, about 285 miles south of the capital metropolis of Tokyo. The findings are described in a examine revealed in November the journal Zootaxa.
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Protecting its snacks–with a defend and 240 tentacles
The St. George’s Cross medusa is taken into account pretty giant for a jellyfish, at about 4 inches broad and three inches lengthy. It additionally boasts roughly 240 tentacles. It will get its title from a cross form on its physique when seen from above that resembles the purple Cross of St. George on the English flag.
It is a sort of jellyfish referred to as a medusa (or the plural kind, medusae), that are free-swimming jellyfish which can be formed like an umbrella and have a decreased stalk.
“The species is very different from all the deep-sea medusae discovered to date. It’s relatively small, whereas others in this kind of environment are much larger. The bright red coloring of its stomach probably has to do with capturing food,” André Morandini, a examine co-author and biologist on the University of São Paulo in Brazil, mentioned in a press release.
Like all jellyfish, S. pagesi is clear. It additionally eats different bioluminescent organisms within the deep sea that give off mild. The workforce believes that its shiny purple abdomen acts like a defend to cover its prey. This method, different organisms can’t see its meal after it has swallowed it.
A uncommon discover
While new species are discovered and described on a regular basis, this one was notably uncommon. It was so troublesome for the workforce to gather, that the findings are based mostly on one single specimen. However, the workforce reportedly noticed one other S. pagesi close by and anticipate future surveys to point out extra members of the group.
The specimen within the examine was captured again in 2002 by the Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Hyperdolphin. The Sumisu Caldera can solely be accessed via an ROV since it’s so deep . Scientists didn’t see some other specimens till 2020. An ROV filmed, however didn’t gather, one other jellyfish of the identical species.
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“We opted to publish the description and call attention to the species that are present at the site, which has a substrate rich in minerals and the potential to be commercially developed. Unfortunately, research can’t be conducted in such places without partners who have interests of this kind,” Morandini mentioned.
‘Arsenal of venoms’
S. pagesi belongs to a brand new subfamily named Santjordiinae. It has small sensory constructions referred to as rhopalia on beneath and on the sides of its umbrella, which makes it distinctive amongst jellyfish within the order Semaeostomeae. This is the order that extra frequent species like moon jellyfish belong to. The workforce believes it might finally match inside Semaeostomeae once they can gather extra species. For now, it stays in Ulmaridae, the broader jellyfish household.
Since it’s so completely different amongst jellyfish, the authors imagine that it probably has an “arsenal of venoms” which can be not like these beforehand discovered in jellyfish. The Indo-Pacific field jellyfish releases a venom that makes the guts contract and Australian field jellyfish can launch this venom from thick tentacles that develop as much as 10 ft lengthy.
“Who knows? Maybe it holds secrets more valuable than all the mineral wealth that could be extracted from that place. All this with the advantage of keeping the species and the site intact,” mentioned Morandini.