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Type: Articles
Published: 2010-04-28
Page range: 24–34
Abstract views: 48
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Csiromedusa medeopolis: a remarkable Tasmanian medusa (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa: Narcomedusae) comprising a new family, genus and species

Queen Victoria Museum and Art Gallery, 2 Wellington Street, Launceston, Tasmania 7250, Australia South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia (Honorary) Australian Marine Stinger Advisory Services, Post Office Box 5559, Townsville, Queensland 4810, Australia
South Australian Museum, North Terrace, Adelaide, South Australia 5000, Australia (Honorary)
Cnidaria Hydrozoa Narcomedusae Tasmania jellyfish taxonomy morphology anatomy new family new genus new species

Abstract

An unusual new species of narcomedusa from Tasmania is described. It differs from all other species of narcomedusae in having two whorls of tentacles, as well as a beveled opening in the apical surface containing peculiar ‘sky-scraper-like’ protruding structures, which we have interpreted as gonads. We place this unusual form in its own family, the Csiromedusidae fam. nov. Knowledge about its basic biology and ecology is currently lacking. We provide a comparative table of features of the families of Narcomedusae, as well as a summary of characters observed in known juvenile and larval stages of species of Narcomedusae.

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