A new macromedusa from the coast of Mozambique: Aurelia mozambica sp. nov. (Scyphozoa: Ulmaridae)

Michael Brown, Simonetta Scorrano, Zafrir Kuplik, Drikus Kuyper, Verena Ras, Delphine Thibault, Adriaan Engelbrecht, Mark J. Gibbons

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

A new species of the cosmopolitan jellyfish genus Aurelia is described from the coastal waters of Mozambique using a combination of morphological, meristic and genetic information (COI and 18S). The species can be separated from congeners that have been recently described by a combination of bell shape, number of canal origins and anastomoses, and the shape of the manubrium and oral arms. Three types of nematocysts are present in the tissues of both the bell margin and oral arms, and this description of the cnidome will allow for future comparison. Pairwise genetic comparisons showed a mean COI divergence of 4.8% within the group, and a mean divergence ranging between 15% and 22% with all other species of Aurelia.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)263-276
Number of pages14
JournalZootaxa
Volume4933
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 19 Feb 2021
Externally publishedYes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2021 Magnolia Press

Keywords

  • COI
  • Cnidome
  • Jellyfish
  • Morphometrics
  • Mozambique
  • Taxonomy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
  • Animal Science and Zoology

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