Invertabrate project

Pelagia Noctiluca

 Phylum: Cnidaria

Class: Scyphozoa

 

Body structure

Like most cnidaria, this pelagia Noctiluca is radially symmentrical. It has one main opening called the gastrovascular cavity (mouth & anus). Has 3 tissues which are the outer epidermis, inner gastrodermis and the middle layer galatinous mesoglia. The mesoglia layer is a cartilege like tissue. Unlike most cnardia's this one does not have a bottom dwelling stage (polyp) only a medusa stage. Around the edges of the unbrella like structure at the top it has light receptors and odar pits for helping it see and smell what is around them. The unbrella strusture can be color ranged from purple to brownish-red and has a frilled edge. It has eight thin stinging tenicals (up to 10cm long) attached to the edges for stunning and capturing prey and four thick lobes coming from its mouth called "oral arms". 
 

Digestion & Excretion

These cnardia are carnivorous and eat zooplankton, small fish, crustaceans, other jelly fish and fish eggs. They catch and sting prey is their tenticals and such their tenticals ito their mouths. They digest their food in their gut cavity either internaly or externaly and when they are done digesting the waste come out of the same opening. They spend most of their time hunting for food.
 

Movement

These cnidaria's, like others move by contracting their muscular ring at the bottle of the bell which propels them. Each of their cells can contract individually but ussualy they go wherever the current takes them.
 

Reproduction

The adult cnidaria have defferent sexes and reproduce by sexual reproduction. They release gametes from their gonads which are in the center of the body. The fertilize externally by releaseing them out into the ocean and hope that the ova and sperm will meet eachother to be fertilized. After the egg is fertilized if forms and planulae which is a mass of cells that swim with the cilia. Ocean currents disperse them throughtout the ocean and unlike other cnardias they do not have a polyp stage so they develop right into young medusa.

There are many different kinda of organisms found in this phyla and here are some pictures of the variety.

These are Normuras Jellyfish, they can grow to be very big and rang in colors.

Spotted jellyfish also known as lagoon jellyfish, they have unique spots on their bell

 

These are some pictures of the exotic cnidaria Pelagia Noctiluca I have chosen for my project.

 

Significance/Deutrosomes or Protosomes

Pelagia Noctiluca have no huge importance but i can infect negitivly to tourism. Getting stung by one of these are painful and can cause scares and lesions but these has been no known death from getting stung. These cnidaria's are neither deutrosomes or protosomes, they are in a group called  Radiata.

 

Instresting Facts/Why i love them!

The name pelagia Noctiluca in german means "night light", they are called this becasue they are very colorful and can leave a lumious mucas behind if they are desterbed or feel threatened.

I love these spacific cnidaria because of how unique they are from the other kinds in the phylum cnidaria