Diplulmaris antarctica is a species of jellyfish

Jellyfish

Jellyfish are free-swimming members of the phylum Cnidaria. Medusa is another word for jellyfish, and refers to any free-swimming jellyfish stages in the phylum Cnidaria...

 in the family

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 Ulmaridae

Ulmaridae

Ulmaridae is a family of jellyfish.-Genera:*Aurelia *Aurosa*Deepstaria*Diplulmaris*Discomedusa*Floresca*Parumbrosa*Phacellophora - Phacellophora camtschatica*Poralia...

.

Distribution

This species is found in Antarctica including the Antarctic Peninsula

Antarctic Peninsula

The Antarctic Peninsula is the northernmost part of the mainland of Antarctica. It extends from a line between Cape Adams and a point on the mainland south of Eklund Islands....

 in continental shelf waters near the surface.

Description

This species grows to approximately 4 cm wide. Diplulmaris antarctica has 16 - 48 laterally compressed, white tentacles. It has reddish-orange stomach gastrodermis and flilled oral arms of the same colour.

This jellyfish is normally infested with Hyperiella dilatata. These hyperiid amphipods appear as white dots on the surface of the bell, and do not appear to eat the medusa.

Diet

Diplulmaris antarctica feeds on copepods, euphausiid larvate, medusae, ctenophore

Ctenophore

The Ctenophora are a phylum of animals that live in marine waters worldwide. Their most distinctive feature is the "combs", groups of cilia that they use for swimming, and they are the largest animals that swim by means of cilia – adults of various species range from a few millimeters to in size...

, fish larvae, and molluscan pteropods such as Clione antarctica

Clione antarctica

Clione antarctica is a species of a pelagic marine gastropod mollusks in the family Clionidae.- Distribution :Distribution of Clione antarctica include Southern Hemisphere in polar waters of Antarctica.- Ecology :...

and Limacina antarctica

Limacina antarctica

Limacina antarctica is a species of swimming sea snail in the family Limacinidae, which belong to the group commonly known as sea butterflies ....

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Further reading

• Pelagic Scyphomedusae (Scyphozoa: Coronatae and Semaeostomeae) of the Southern Ocean. RJ Larson. Washington, DC: American Geophysical Union, 1986
• Antarctic Ecology, Volume 1. MW Holdgate, ed. NY: Academic Press, 1970. pp244-258
• Annales de l'Institut Oceanographique 73(2):139-158, 1997; 5: Annales de l'Institut Oceanographique 73(2):123-124, 1997