Reappearance and seasonality of Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa, Rhizostomeae) medusae in southern Brazil

Abstract

The scyphozoan Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld, 1884 (Mastigiidae), known only from Indo-Pacific waters prior to the 1950s, is today found far from its original distribution, probably due to human activities. First seen in 1955 in Brazilian waters, medusae were found in southern and southeastern coasts, disappearing (at least as a medusa) in the early 1960's. Another population was found in the late 1990's, in the state of Bahia, and again in late 2001, many sightings were reported along the coasts of Paraná and Santa Catarina (25°20'S, 48°12'W to 27°26'S, 48°22'W). A large summer bloom, followed by decline and disappearance in winter and spring, occurs every year since then. The reasons for this recent mass occurrence are unknown. Despite few scattered records of the species in Brazil, it is probably widespread, occurring from the coast of Ceará (3°43'S, 38°28'W), in the northeast, to Santa Catarina, in the south.