| Geryonia proboscidalis
(Forskal, 1775) Phylum Cnidaria / Class Hydrozoa / Order Trachymedusae / Family Geryoniidae |
This beauty of a jelly is one you'll rarely encounter on
the West Coast. With the exception perhaps of Liriope, it's hard to
confuse this species with any other. The transparent, colorless bell can
get quite large, up to 8 cm, but is usually a bit smaller. Among the more
notable features is the very long conical peduncle, to which is attached the
small stomach. The 6 radial canals continue all the way down the peduncle
to the stomach. Six flat gonads, seen in the photo as the translucent
white areas, lie on the radial canals. There are a total of 12 tentacles,
with 6 long alternating with 6 shorter ones. The peduncle is quite active
and swings around to bring the mouth in contact with the bell margin when prey
has been captured. Geryonia is relatively uncommon and never as
abundant as its relative, Liriope. It can be distinguished from Liriope
by the typical larger size, tentacle number (12 vs. 8), and number of
gonads (6 vs. 4). Geryonia prefers warm waters, inhabiting
surface zones in tropical and subtropical seas. It occasionally ventures
as far north as central California.
All photographs © David Wrobel and may not be used or copied without permission!