Lucernaria bathyphila
Stauromedusae UK - An online guide to the Stalked jellyfish (Stauromedusae)
found around the coastal waters of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Includes notes on their identification, and where and how to find them.
WoRMS taxon details for -
Lucernaria bathyphila Haeckel, 1880 - External Link
Image of Lucernaria bathyphila kindly supplied by
and copyright SERPENT Project. Further information on this species can
be found in the SERPENT Media Archive. A second, verified photo, which has been kindly been supplied by SERPENT can be found on the dedicated Species Gallery page of this website.
Brief Description
- Calyx slightly higher than wide, up to 60mm in width.
- Stalk short, 5-10 mm in length.
- Arms short.
- Secondary tentacles number 80-120.
- Gonads are short and wide and do not extend to ends of arms.
- Perradial notches between the arms are only slightly wider and deeper than the interradial notches.
- A deep water species (see below)
Historical Texts
Historical Plates
Plate 16. Zoology v.4 - Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 under the command of Captain George S. Nares from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. (click on link for larger image)
Plate 17. Zoology v.4 - Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 under the command of Captain George S. Nares from the Biodiversity Heritage Library. (click on link for larger image)
Records and Recording
Lucernaria bathyphila is a deep water species and as a result "should not" concern those who record intertidally on the shore, by snorkeling or diving in much shallower waters. I say "should not" because it's not unheard of for deep water species to be found washed-up on the shore.
The species was first discovered in 1880, in 540 fathoms of water between the Faroe Islands and Shetland Islands in the Northern Atlantic. The preserved specimen this record relates to has been lost, but recent records confirm the presence of this species, roughly in the same area, see Distribution Map below.
"The species was not taken during the Challenger expedition, but was part of the spoil of a subsidiary cruise in H.M.S. "Knight Errant," organised by Sir Wyville Thomson in 1880."
Collection site: Lat / Long. 60.05 -5.85. Google Maps
Ref: Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 under the command of Captain George S. Nares ... and the late Captain Frank Tourle Thomson, R.N..
There are two recent, very important, UK records, reported by the SERPENT Project for Lucernaria bathyphila. They have been abbreviated here, the most recent first, and their position on Google Maps added.
27.09.2009. North Atlantic, North Sea, West of Shetland, Tornado. Seafloor. Substratum: hetrogeneous seafloor.
Depth : 1050 m.
Latitude: 60 deg 33' 44" N
Longitude: 4 deg 27' 23" W
Latitude / Longitude Metric: 60.562222 -4.456389 Google Map
Rig: Stena Carron
Project Partners: OMV, Oceaneering, Stena.
ROV: Magnum 156
Verified by Jones, D and Collins, A.
11.07.2007. North Atlantic. North Sea. West of Shetland. Rosebank. Seafloor. Substratum: deep-sea mud.
Depth: 1085 m.
Latitude: 60 deg 59' 33" N
Longitude: 3 deg 49' 49" W
Latitude / Longitude Metric: 60.9925 -3.83028 Google Map
Rig: Transocean Rather
Project Partners: Chevron, Subsea 7, Transocean
ROV: Centurion 05 HD (work class)
Specimen thought to be this species based on morphological characters and the depth / locality.
Distribution Maps and Links
UK Distribution Map for Lucernaria bathyphila (based on approximate locations for the above records, positioning based on typing metric lat. / long. into Google Maps).
Weblinks
Lucernaria bathyphila on the SERPENT Media Archive
Zoology v.4 - Report on the scientific results of the voyage of H.M.S. Challenger during the years 1873-76 under the command of Captain George S. Nares. - from the Biodiversity Heritage Library
More information is required for Lucernaria bathyphila.
Please e-mail if you are able to provide information, papers or images; and permissions for their use, all necessary credit will be given.
Page Under Construction
