Mauve stinger
Pelagia noctiluca
- Scientific name
- Pelagia noctiluca
- Group
- Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
- Rarity
- Common
- Where to see it
- Mediterranean
- Conservation status (IUCN)
- Not evaluated
Did you know?
The mauve stinger drifts through the open sea its entire life, never attaching to the seafloor the way many other jellyfish do at one stage of their life cycle. It's bioluminescent and can flash a brief blue glow when disturbed in the dark.
What defines this group — Cnidarians (corals, anemones, jellyfish)
Corals, anemones and jellyfish: the same simple animal, anchored to the bottom or drifting in open water.
- All armed with cnidocytes, harpoon cells that fire on contact.
- A body arranged in rays around a single opening, serving as both mouth and exit.
- Hard corals host algae in their tissue: it is their departure that causes bleaching.