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Crystal Jelly

Aequorea victoria
Aequorea victoria

Crystal Jelly

Aequorea victoria
Other Common Names
Many-ribbed hydromedusa, water jellyfish
At the Aquarium
Jelly Gallery
Other Common Names
Many-ribbed hydromedusa, water jellyfish

At the Aquarium

Jelly Gallery

Appearance

The medusa phase is usually colorless and saucer-shaped. A row of up to 150 tentacles of varying lengths surround the bell. The wide mouth with fringed lips hangs from the inside of the bell. There are 60 or more radial canals extending from the mouth to the bell margin, with gonads along most of their length, which are blue in males and rosy in females. The tiny sessile polyp phase is for asexual reproduction and grows to just 0.1” in length and has about 20 tentacles.

Habitat

Bays and nearshore waters

Diet

Mostly other jellies, including moon jellies, hydromedusae and ctenophores, but also other prey including crustacean larvae and fish eggs and larvae, including Pacific herring, Pacific sand soles, English soles, and starry flounders. These jellies will be cannibalistic.

Life History

The free-swimming medusa phase is involved in sexual reproduction. These medusa tend to concentrate near surface waters during spawning. A fertilized egg will develop into a planula larva, which will settle on a hard surface to become a tiny polyp in the intertidal. The medusa stage buds off of the polyp.

Bell grows up to 16” in diameter and 1.6” in height.

IUCN Status

Not Evaluated

Ecosystem & Cultural Importance

Crystal jellies are bioluminescent, giving off green light from over 100 tiny organs along the mantle edge, due to 2 proteins: green fluorescent protein (GFP) and the luminescent protein aequorin. These proteins are used in biomedical research, able to watch how nerve cells develop inside the brain and how cancer spreads.

These jellies feed their predators including the giant sunfish (Mola mola), chum salmon, nudibranchs, and other jellies including the hanging stomach jelly (Stomotoca atra) and the egg yolk jelly (Phacellophora camtschatica). In addition, they will host amphipods during the winter.
Range
British Columbia to southern California
On the Oregon Coast
These jellies can be found in most Oregon bays and in the nearshore environment.
Fun Facts
This is not a true jelly, but instead is a hydrozoan. Most hydromedusae are 0.4” or less in diameter but these medusa are especially large, reaching up to 16” in diameter.

Citations & Other Resources

Back to All Animals

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Since opening in 1992, the Oregon Coast Aquarium has been a premier attraction on Oregon’s central coast and an enduring advocate for the health of our ocean. For over three decades this 501(c)3 non-profit organization has supported marine wildlife and fostered environmental stewardship through its education programs, community partnerships, and rehabilitation efforts. Accredited by the Association of Zoos & Aquariums, the Oregon Coast Aquarium is consistently ranked as one of the top 10 aquariums in the U.S., providing visitors with opportunities to connect with 15,000 animals spanning 300 different species. The Oregon Coast Aquarium is located at 2820 S.E. Ferry Slip Rd., Newport, OR. Learn more about the Oregon Coast Aquarium and its vital work at aquarium.org, 541-867-3474. Follow us on Facebook or Twitter for the latest updates.

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