Haliclystus salpinx  (Clark, 1863)

Common name:  Stalked jellyfish
Synonyms: 
  Haliclystus octoradiatus
Phylum Cnidaria
  Subphylum Medusozoa
    Class Scyphozoa (now Staurozoa)
      Order Stauromedusae
        Suborder Eleutherocarpida
          Family Lucernariidae
A possible Haliclystus salpinx, diameter about 1.5 cm.  Found in Rosario Bay.  Note trumpet-shaped anchors.
Photo by: Dave Cowles, August 2012
Description:  Funnel-shaped, to nearly 3 cm wide.  Stalk about the same length as calyx with 8 equidistant arms, each with 30-100 capitate  tentacles, arms alternating with 8 trumpet-shaped marginal anchors on short stems.  With 8 gonads, extending to the ends of the 8 arms; gonads with numerous round sacs, in regular or irregular rows, extend into lobes for only about half their length.  Subumbrella with or without folds.  Color variable, in shades of green, brown, olive, yellow, orange, pink, red or purple, with white spots

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: Haliclystus sp. has marginal anchors which are egg-shaped or trumpet-shaped, not expanding into broad cups, and with inconspicuous stalks.  Its gonads also nearly reach the ends of the lobes.

Note:  H. salpinx is primarily in the North Atlantic.  Records of the species in this area are very sparse and mostly in the San Juan Islands.  It may be that what is locally identified as H. salpinx is actually an unnamed species (Claudia Mills personal communication).
 

Geographical Range:  North and South Atlantic; North Pacific from central California to Alaska, northern Japan and China (but see note above)

Depth Range:  Found on a variety of intertidal and subtidal habitats, sometimes quite abundant.

Habitat:  Found commonly on eelgrass, rock, and algae.

Biology/Natural History:  The color of H. salpinx often matches the color of their substrate (typically rock, algae, or eelgrass).  They feed on small epibenthic crustaceans.


 
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References:
Dichotomous Keys:
  Carlton, 2007
  Kozloff, 1987, 1996

General References:
  Wrobel and Mills, 1998

Scientific Articles:
 

Web Pages:
Claudia Mills web page:  http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Staurolist.html


General Notes and Observations: Locations, abundances, unusual behaviors, etc.:

Larson(1990) assigned the name H. octoradiatus to the common Haliclystus along the west coast, whereas a Japanese specialist is planning to revivie the name H. sanjuanensis for individuals in Washington and British Columbia.  H. salpinx is clearly another species, of limited distribution in the San Jaun Islands, and H. stejnegeri is a boreal species that occurs from Alaska to northern Japan.

This species is found at least once a summer on algae in Rosario bay--especially by the phycology class.



In this view the marginal anchors, as well as the open manubrium can be clearly seen.  Photo by Dave Cowles, June 2005.  Note:  This may be another species of Haliclystus.


Authors and Editors of Page:
Christina Smith (2002):  Created original page
Edited by Hans Helmstetler 12-2002, Dave Cowles 2005