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Moon Jelly

The moon jelly is named for its translucent, moon-like bell. But these jellyfish don’t always stick to milky white coloration — they can also sometimes have a pink, purple, peach, or blue tint!

 

Aurelia labiata is commonly known as the moon jelly — but it’s not the only jellyfish with this name! The term can refer to any of the 28 known species in the genus Aurelia. This particular moon jelly species is found in coastal regions of the Pacific Ocean from San Diego, California to the Prince William Sound in Alaska. They float near the surface in warm, near-shore waters often appearing in groups of hundreds or even millions! In some areas, huge groups like these may be caused by jellyfish getting stuck in the same water column and staying stuck since they reduce movement to avoid collisions. 

While they don’t have typical long trailing tentacles usually associated with jellyfish, the moon jelly does have a fine fringe lining the bell area. They also have stinging cells called “nematocysts” that they use to ward off predators. However, for humans, their sting is mild and causes no harm. This species feeds on small zooplankton including molluscs, fish eggs, and other small jellies. Even though their life span is less than one year, there is some  overlap in their diets and habitats with commercial fish species, like walleye pollock, in Prince William Sound. This could potentially result in competition for resources.

 

 

Currently, this species is not known to face any major threats and has stable, abundant populations. There is some evidence to suggest that jellyfish populations may be increasing with rising ocean temperatures. However, even if moon jellyfish populations are thriving, it is difficult to predict how changing ecosystems will affect species like this over the long term. 

 

 

Healthy, restored oceans are key for ocean ecosystems to remain in balance and allow all ocean species to thrive for generations to come. Learn more about Oceana’s campaigns to protect ocean marine biodiversity and abundance here.

 

 

  • Animal Diversity 
  • Lawley JW, Gamero-Mora E, Maronna M.M, et al. (2021) The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genus Aurelia (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa). PeerJ 9:e11954 DOI 10.7717/peerj.11954 
  • Purcell JE. (2007) Environmental effects on asexual reproduction rates of the scyphozoan Aurelia labiata. Marine Ecology Progress Series, 348: 183-196. doi: 10.3354/meps07056 
  • World Register of Marine Species: Aurelia 

 

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