Several moon jellyfish (Aurelia aurita) glowing blue in aquarium water.

Moon jellies at Oceanopolis, Brest, photographed on 2 April 2010.

Creator: Llorenzi

Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

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Species record

Moon Jelly

Aurelia aurita

Explore the Moon Jelly (Aurelia aurita) species record in The Ark Is Earth, including classification, habitat, distribution, conservation information, and sources.

Summary

Moon jellies are translucent animals of coastal and brackish waters, recorded across the world. Their bell pulses to move them through the water, and their tentacles and oral arms gather plankton and other small prey. The name Aurelia aurita has also been applied to very similar genetic lineages, so scientists use more than appearance to identify some moon jellies.

Classification in this archive

  1. Kingdom: Animals
  2. Phylum: Cnidarians
  3. Class: True jellyfish
  4. Order: Semaeostomeae
  5. Family: Ulmaridae
  6. Genus: Aurelia

Habitat and distribution

Selected documented locations — not a complete species range.

Habitat
coastal marine waters, bays and harbors, brackish waters, shallow coastal seas, hard underwater surfaces used by the attached polyp stage
Selected regions
Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, Oceania, South America

Conservation status

Conservation status not recorded.

Did you know?

  • A moon jelly’s central reproductive organs are shaped like a four-leaf clover.

Sources and attribution