Chrysaora Péron & Lesueur, 1810

Morandini, André C. & Marques, Antonio C., 2010, Revision of the genus Chrysaora Péron & Lesueur, 1810 (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) 2464, Zootaxa 2464, pp. 1-97 : 8-9

Genus Chrysaora Péron & Lesueur, 1810

Etymology: χρDσάωρ = “golden falchion (sword)”, Chrysaor the son of Poseidon and Medusa, father of Geryon (Greek mythology).

Synonyms:

Chrysaora Péron & Lesueur 1810: 364 .

Dactylometra L. Agassiz 1862: 125–126 .

Melanaster L. Agassiz 1862: 126–127 .

Zygonema L. Agassiz 1862: 127 .

Stenoptycha (in part) L. Agassiz 1862: 162.

Lobocrocis L. Agassiz 1862: 166 .

Bathyluca Mayer, 1900: 2 .

Kuragea Kishinouye 1902: 9 .

Type species. Chrysaora mediterranea Péron & Lesueur, 1810 a junior synonym of Medusa hysoscella Linnaeus, 1767 – now Chrysaora hysoscella ( Linnaeus, 1767) – by subsequent designation ( Mayer 1910: 577; see also Calder 2009: 24).

Diagnosis. pelagiid scyphomedusae with eight rhopalia; tentacles one, three or more between successive pairs of sense organs (octant); radial gastrovascular pouches 16, the eight rhopalar pouches being narrower than inter-rhopalar (tentacular) ones; rhopalial pits on exumbrella deep; radial septa terminating near tentacle base; ephyrae with clusters of nematocysts on each side of the rhopalia ( Mayer 1910; Kramp 1961; Russell 1970; Mianzan & Cornelius 1999; Gershwin & Collins 2002; Calder 2009). Scyphistoma typical for Semaeostomeae ; tentacles usually 16, septa four, dividing gastrovascular cavity; calyx long; peduncle (stalk) short.

Valid species. Chrysaora achlyos , C. chinensis , C. colorata , C. fulgida , C. fuscescens , C. hysoscella , C. lactea , C. melanaster , C. pacifica , C. pentastoma , C. plocamia , C. quinquecirrha

Nomina dubia. Chrysaora kynthia , C. wurlerra

Species inquirenda. Chrysaora caliparea

Several species presently assigned to the genus Chrysaora had earlier been assigned to other scyphozoan genera or subgenera (e.g. Medusa (Cyanea) caliparea, Medusa hysoscella , Pelagia colorata , Cyanea plocamia ). Their reassignment is due to advances in knowledge of the species and the increasing number of characters used to distinguish the different groups of scyphomedusae.

Several generic names introduced by L. Agassiz (1862) have been synonymized with Chrysaora . He considered tentacle and lappet numbers to be characters of generic value, and established several nominal genera (e.g. Dactylometra, Melanaster ) based on such differences. Kishinouye (1902) utilized the same characters in erecting the genus Kuragea for Japanese specimens. Mayer (1910) noted that medusae assigned to Dactylometra pass through a “ Chrysaora stage”; but Kramp (1955) formally abandoned this view and synonymized Dactylometra and Kuragea with Chrysaora . Mayer has earlier included Melanaster in the synonymy of Chrysaora . Developmental and life cycle studies have confirmed the observations of Mayer.