Wild polyps of the blooming jellyfish Aurelia limbata (Brandt, 1838) (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa) found on deep-sea debris off Sanriku, Japan

Abstract

Mass aggregations of Aurelia limbata have been reported along the Pacific coast of northern Japan, from spring to fall. The polyp stage is important for understanding the factors leading to mass occurrences of jellyfish, because polyps reproduce asexually and are responsible for the release of many ephyrae. Until the present report, the polyps of A. limbata had not been found in the wild and their ecology remained unknown. We found 18 polyps of A. limbata attached to two pieces of deep-sea debris, an aluminum beverage can and a plastic bottle, collected by bottom trawl at depths of 296 m and 392 m, respectively. Strobilation of the polyps was observed at 4°C without temperature change stimulation. This raises the possibility that strobilation occurs in low-temperature environments throughout the year. A large quantity of debris had sunk to the seafloor off the coast because of the tsunami tidal wave after the Great East Japan Earthquake, increasing the available substrate for A. limbata polyps. Additional ecological research on polyps and medusae in deep waters is necessary to predict future blooms of A. limbata.