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.

The following species of stauromedusae can be found around the coast of the United Kingdom / British Isles.

Craterolophus convolvulus (Johnston, 1835)

Depastrum cyathiforme (M. Sars, 1846)

Haliclystus auricula (Rathke, 1806)

Haliclystus octoradiatus (Lamarck, 1816)

Haliclystus salpinx James-Clark, 1863

Lucernaria bathyphila Haeckel, 1880

Lucernaria quadricornis O. F. Müller, 1776

Calvadosia campanulata (Lamouroux, 1815)

Calvadosia cruxmelitensis Corbin, 1978

Stylocoronella variabilis Salvini-Plawen, 1987*

The UK Checklist above is correct as of 26.09.16.

N.B. Recent genus change for Lucernariopsis cruxmelitensis Corbin, 1978 and Lucernariopsis campanulata (Lamouroux, 1815) to Calvadosia. Ref. Systematics of stalked jellyfishes (Cnidaria: Staurozoa) Lucılia S. Miranda, Yayoi M. Hirano, Claudia E. Mills, Audrey Falconer, David Fenwick, Antonio C. Marques and Allen G. Collins. 2016.

* An image of Stylocoronella reidli is used here to illustrate the genus Stylocoronella, and in the absence of an image of our native Stylocoronella variabilis. Thanks go to Anne Frijsinger & Mat Vestjens for allowing the use of the image. The image of Stylocoronella riedli is © Anne Frijsinger & Mat Vestjens, 2005 of Natuurlijk Mooi.

More information is required for Haliclystus salpinx, Lucernaria bathyphila and Stylocoronella variabilis. Please e-mail if you are able to provide information, papers or images; and permissions for their use, all necessary credit will be given.

The order stauromedusae is currently under revision by
Allen G. Collins and staff at the NOAA National Systematics Laboratory at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of Natural History, Washington, USA. There are likely to be changes that affect this list and the classification of the stauromedusae when the work is published, changes that reflect the molecular results achieved by the team involved.

Specimens of the following species were collected in Cornwall during 2012/13 for the above study. Craterolophus convolvulus, Haliclystus octoradiatus, Calvadosia campanulata and Calvadosia cruxmelitensis. Specimens of Haliclystus auricula and Depastrum cyathiforme are still needed for the study, these should be collected in 99% alcohol.