Solmundella bitentaculata (Quoy & Gaimard, 1833)
A two-tentacled widespread deep-water jelly
Size
- body upto 2 cm
Color & Characteristics
- clear translucent to pale-blue
- 2 tentacles emerge well above the bell margin
- 2 stomach pouches per quadent
Habitat
- Cosmopolitan in deep waters
- Observed in the Arctic by ROVs between 500 and 3000 m but uncommon in net collections because of low abundances
- Recent molecular work suggests this is a species complex, each with regional affinities
Feeding
- Diet is unknown, but other narcomedusae are known to feed primarily on other gelantinous taxa
Life cycle
- Holplanktonic, likely with a distinct "larval" stage
- generation time likely one year, life expectancy unknown
Page Author: Kevin Raskoff & Russ Hopcroft
Created: Sept 15, 2010
