Cyanea capillata

Lion's mane jellyfish are not often found in the North Sea. The jellyfish can sting badly with its long hairy tentacles located on the rim of the bell. These tentacles can grow up to several meters long! Those animals that are not sensitive to the poison prefer to live close by the jellyfish. The toxin scares away enemies, making it a safe place for others. Reddish specimen of blue jellyfish are sometimes mistaken for lion's mane jellyfish.

 Cyanea capillata is one of the largest species of jellyfish and is commonly referred to as Lions mane jellyfish due to the highly distinguishable mass of long, thin, hair-like tentacles. Cyanea capillata has a saucer-shaped bell (the umbrella) with a uniform thickness until thinning dramatically around the edges. Usually yellowish brown or reddish in colour. It generally grows to 30-50 cm in diameter in British waters. However, they have been know to grow up to 200 cm. The margin of the bell bears hollow tentacles, arranged in eight groups with 70 to 150 or more tentacles in each. The mouth and oral arms stem from a projection on the underside of the umbrella (the manubrium). The oral arms are thick, frilled, folded and generally as long as the diameter of the umbrella.Young Cyanea capillata may be found as early as February in British waters, although the main period of abundance for larger individuals is June to September. This species does occasionally occur in large swarms, largely thought to be due to storms and tides that concentrate individuals together (Russell, 1970). They have a very severe sting that can produce blisters, irritation, and muscular cramp and may even affect respiratory and heart function. Cyanea capillata can still sting long after being stranded on the shore.

Biology/Natural History: Probably lives less than one year. This species can give a painful sting with blisters that lasts for several hours. It is the most likely jellyfish in our area to sting you, and may even trigger allergic shock. Feeds on small fish and crustaceans. Several symbionts may be found on the bell, including juvenile pollock and other fish, and decapod megalops larvae. The gonads of this species are 4 highly folded, ribbonlike structures that hang down under the bell and alternate with the 4 oral lobes. This is the world's largest jellyfish.

This Scyphomedusa has a saucer-shaped bell up to 2 m in diameter at high latitudes; more southern specimens such as those near Rosario are usually closer to 50 cm. The bell has a thick center and a thinner margin. The margin is divided into 8 pairs of thick lobes (for a total of 16 lobes) (photo). Has 8 clusters of up to 150 highly extensible tentacles arranged in several rows, arising from horseshoe shaped regions between the lobes (photo). Has 8 rhopalia, each of which is situated between the two lobes of a pair (photo). Oral arms highly folded, forming a blocky mass only about as long as the bell is wide (but see this photo for extended oral arms). Color deep brick red to purplish, rose, violet, or even milky white. Yellowish-brown in small specimens, often more red in large individuals. The swimming medusa looks like an 8 pointed star at the end of its power stroke. The tentacles may trail down as far as 9 m in large specimens, 2 m in the 50 cm individuals found in our area.

Coloration bright and varied, most often of red or yellow tint.

Belgian Coast, Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone, Canadian Exclusive Economic Zone [Pacific part], European waters (ERMS scope), FAO fishing area 67, Gulf of Maine, Gulf of Mexico, Gulf of St. Lawrence, North East Pacific, North Pacific, North West Atlantic, Oostende, Oosterschelde, Polish Exclusive Economic Zone, St. Lawrence Estuary, United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone, Wadden Sea, Wimereux

Cyanea capillata can be found in the cooler regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, North Sea and Baltic. They are especially prevalent near the east coast of Britain. (Grzimek 1972, Nichols 1979)

Biogeographic Regions: atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )

semi-cosmopolitan

Cosmopolitan species.

Arctic to Florida

United States

Origin: Unknown/Undetermined

Regularity: Regularly occurring

Currently: Present

Confidence: Confident

Type of Residency: Year-round

Cold-water species

Geographical Range: Arctic and north boreal. In the Pacific it is common as far south as Washington, occasionally seen in Oregon, and probably not as far south as California. In the Atlantic it can be found as far south as Florida and Mexico.

Jellyfish are composed of 94% water and are radially symmetrical. It is dibloblastic, which means that it has two tissue layers. This member of the giant jellyfish has a hemispherical bell with scalloped edges. The bell is divided into eight obvious lobes by eight indentations with second order indentations. Some lobes contain sense organs including odor pits, balance organs, and simple light receptors. Its bell normally ranges in diameter from 30 to 80 cm, with some individuals growing up to a maximum of 180 cm. The oral arms are purple with reddish or yellow tentacles, hence the common name "Lion's Mane". The bell may be pink to reddish-gold or brownish-violet. The jellyfish has no fringing tentacles around the edge of its bell, but it has eight groups of 150 tentacles each on the underside of its umbrella. These tentacles contain very effective nematocysts, as does the upper surface of the jellyfish. (Banister and Campbell 1985, Grzimek 1972, Nichols 1979, Stachowitsch 1992)

The edge of the umbrella carries 16 large lobes and 8 rhopalia. Feeding tentacles have numerous folds. 8 groups of long tentacles originate from the subumbrella surface near the edge of the umbrella. Radial and circular musculature very well developed.

One of the largest scyphomedusae, diameter of the umbrella may reach 2 m, the length of the tentacles 20-30 m.

How to Distinguish from Similar Species: Phacellophora camtschatica also has 16 large marginal lobes, but they are not in pairs and between these are 16 smaller lobes resembling fish tails on which the rhopalia are found. The tentacles are in 16 linear groups (not 8) of up to 25 tentacles per group, hanging from the subumbrella. It is usually a lighter yellow color than is Cyanea capillata.

The Lion's Mane Jellyfish is found in the cooler regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, North Sea, and Baltic Sea. They are especially common along the East coast of Britain. They are found in the pelagic zone as medusae and then benthic zone as polyps. (Grzimek 1972, Nichols 1979)

Aquatic Biomes: benthic

upper epipelagic

coastal

Depth range based on 150 specimens in 3 taxa.
Water temperature and chemistry ranges based on 75 samples.

Environmental ranges
  Depth range (m): 0 - 4791
  Temperature range (°C): -0.841 - 23.799
  Nitrate (umol/L): 0.325 - 19.534
  Salinity (PPS): 29.937 - 36.096
  Oxygen (ml/l): 4.714 - 8.874
  Phosphate (umol/l): 0.110 - 1.909
  Silicate (umol/l): 0.756 - 44.762

Graphical representation

Depth range (m): 0 - 4791

Temperature range (°C): -0.841 - 23.799

Nitrate (umol/L): 0.325 - 19.534

Salinity (PPS): 29.937 - 36.096

Oxygen (ml/l): 4.714 - 8.874

Phosphate (umol/l): 0.110 - 1.909

Silicate (umol/l): 0.756 - 44.762
 
Note: this information has not been validated. Check this *note*. Your feedback is most welcome.

 Cyanea capillata is pelagic species that can be found washed up on beaches.

Depth Range: Pelagic

Habitat: Pelagic near surface, in polar and temperate coastal waters.

Cyanea capillata feeds mainly on fish. It catches its prey by sinking slowly with its tentacles spread in a circle around it. The prey is captured in the "net" of tentacles and stunned by the nematocysts. (Grzimek 1972)

Small fish larvae often find shelter beneath the umbrella.

The medusa form of the jellyfish reproduces sexually and has separate sexes. The ova and sperm are produced in baglike projections of the stomach wall. The sex cells are relased through the mouth for external fertilization. In the case of Cyanea, the eggs are held in the oral tentacles until the planula larvae develop. The planula larvae then settle on the substrate and develop into polyps. These scyphopolyps reproduce asexually by horizontal division (strobilation) and are then termed strobila. With each division, a small disk forms, and when multiple disks have formed, the uppermost one detaches and swims off as a ephyra. The ephyra develops into the recognized medusa form of the jellyfish. (Grzimek 1972)

Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 9
Species With Barcodes: 1

The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.

There are 2 barcode sequences available from BOLD and GenBank.  Below is a sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.  See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen and other sequences.

Download FASTA File

Cyanea capillata is in no danger of extinction.

US Federal List: no special status

United States

Rounded National Status Rank: NNR - Unranked

Rounded Global Status Rank: GNR - Not Yet Ranked