Asian moon jelly
Aurelia coerulea
Fried Egg Jellyfish
Cotylorhiza tuberculata
About
The fried egg jellyfish drifts through the Mediterranean, Aegean, and Adriatic seas, its smooth, raised dome giving it the look of an egg yolk sitting in a bowl. Its sting is barely felt by most people.
Also known as: mediterranean jelly, fried egg jelly
- Length
- 40 cm
- Depth
- up to 7 m
How to tell it apart
Other large jellyfish in these seas have a plainer, evenly rounded bell. This one's dome sits raised above a distinct groove running around it, giving the bell a stepped, two-tier look.
Appearance
This jellyfish can reach 40 cm across. Its bell has a smooth, raised central dome ringed by a shallow groove running around it, with long, narrow lappets edging the rim below. Each of its mouth arms splits near the base and branches again several times, ending in a mix of longer arms and many short, club-shaped ones tipped with small discs.
Diet
It feeds on tiny plankton, mostly a mix of phytoplankton and zooplankton, drawn in through its mouth arms as water flows into its gut. Its diet is narrow, made up of only a handful of main plankton types.
Did you know?
Young fish, including juvenile jack, bream, and amberjack, shelter under this jellyfish's bell for protection.
Log it in Into the Blue
Describe what you saw and we name it, then keep every species you find in your Oceandex.
