Haliclystus octoradiatus

David Fenwick Snr Came across a colour form of Haliclystus octoradiatus I'd not seen before today, the photo doesn't do it justice as under the microscope the colours were even more vibrant and the green primary tentacles even more pronounced. Was found sublittorally on an old Sargassum stem, in a gully at Battery Rocks, Penzance.

David Fenwick Snr Had 50-60 small Haliclystus octoradiatus today in bay north of Cape Cornwall, but only found one Craterolophus convolvulus.

David Fenwick Snr Would seem that they're favoring exposed coasts at the moment; hardly any at all intertidally on the south coast sheltered shores.

Rebecca Helm aww! love these guys!

Angela Gall There were lots of Haliclystus at Falmouth yesterday but I struggle to bend down enough to ID them at the moment!

David Fenwick Snr You must be huge by now! Shouldn't be long now surely. We've just had our second grandson here, 8lb 4oz. Will hopefully increase records in the future! LOL.

Angela Gall Less than a week perhaps. Congratulations on your new grandson, lovely news!

Anne Bignall Can anyone help with a species id for this please?!

Darryl Mayer Stalked Jellyfish

Anne Bignall Which species though?

Penny Martin Anne and I have photos of haliclystus auricula and what we think is Craterolophus convolvulus but this is different from both. All seen today in Orkney........

Darryl Mayer We need more info to determine that. How big, what length differences between stalk and funnel, where they were seen... but have a looksee here http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=3445

David Fenwick Snr Looks very much like Lucernariopsis campanulata.

David Fenwick Snr Darryl, I've just looked at the Haliclystus images here, both look like they may have white nematocysts which if they have would of course make them both Haliclystus octoradiatus. More detailed images are really needed though.

Anne Bignall Thanks all, I'll post more photos......

Marco Faasse It is indeed certainly a Lucernariopsis, though I'm not quite sure which one, L. campanulata or L. cruxmelitensis. Characters and drawings seem to be in the Hayward & Ryland book. The other two species you IDd perfectly youself!

Anne Bignall Thanks again - there seems to be a sudden influx of different stalked jellies here in Orkney - or perhaps we'd just not noticed before?

David Fenwick Snr That's very interesting as here in Penzance I start finding them in October and finish about May. Out of interest has the weather been cloudier than normal with you Anne, or has the water vis been poorer than normal through sediment or blooms ?

Anne Bignall It has been a pretty grey and cloudy summer - very changeable even for Orkney I'd say. Viz not bad though - although it was poorer than usual on the day I saw this.

Marco Faasse Haliclystus octoradiatus. White spots between arms. Follicles in the arms are a little bit darker.

Richard Lord Fabulous

Marco Faasse There are only two kinds of stalked jellyfish, the beautiful ones and the fabulous ones ;-)