After 22 years, scientists have finally confirmed Santjordia pagesi ‘s existence as its own species. Due to its scarcity, the international study on this species took a long time. For 18 years, the only description researchers had available was based on a single individual collected in 2002 by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
A Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (The São Paulo Research Foundation), or FAPESP. FAPESP is a public organization funded by taxes from the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
“The foundation works in close contact with the scientific community: all proposals are peer-reviewed with the help of area panels composed of active researchers. Besides funding research in all fields, the foundation supports large research programs in areas such as Biodiversity, Bioenergy, Global Climate Change, and in e-Science.”
Santjordia pagesi is different from other Medusae jellyfish because it is notably smaller and has a diameter of approximately ten centimeters. According to André Corrara Morandini, “others in this kind of environment are much larger.”
Medusae jellyfish are characterized by their umbrella-shaped bodies, ability to swim freely, and reduced stalk. This stalk has the jellyfish’s mouth at the tip and is called a manubrium. The manubrium connects to the main body cavity of the jellyfish, allowing it to feed and digest its prey.
Other features of this jellyfish species include the bright red cross on its underside, which researchers speculate may aid the jellyfish’s eating habits. The coloring may prevent predators from seeing the bioluminescent organisms that make up the jellyfish’s diet because its body is transparent.
The jellyfish is native to the Sumisu Caldera in the Ogasawara Islands, approximately 460 kilometers south of Tokyo, Japan. The caldera is a hydrothermally active deep-sea volcanic structure with a diameter of about ten kilometers and a depth of 812 meters. Its floor is an average of 900 meters below sea level.
Researchers believe the caldera formed because of an eruption of 30-60 ka, equaling 30,000-60,000 years. The caldera-forming eruption began on the island and probably produced a large eruption column. Sedimentary matter formed because of this eruption and then settled, producing the caldera we see today.
Phylogeny is based on genetic analyses. The new genus and subfamily of jellyfish, ‘St. George’s Cross Medusa’ (red) and closely related species (blue).
The species epithet was chosen in honor of Dr. Francesc Pagès (1962–2007), who died of an unexpected illness on May 4th, 2007. His scientific trajectory covered all the gelatinous zooplankton organisms and many geographical areas. However, it is worth emphasizing his stay in Japan and his frequent trips to the USA on expeditions with submersibles.
Morandini was one of the authors of the article featuring the new species, published by Zootaxa. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Universidade de São Paulo (University of São Paulo). He is currently a full professor in the Department of Biology and the Center for Marine Biology Director.
Researchers
After 22 years, scientists have finally confirmed Santjordia pagesi‘s existence as its own species. Due to its scarcity, the international study on this species took a long time. For 18 years, the only description researchers had available was based on a single individual collected in 2002 by a remotely operated vehicle (ROV).
A Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (The São Paulo Research Foundation), or FAPESP. FAPESP is a public organization funded by taxes from the state of São Paulo, Brazil.
“The foundation works in close contact with the scientific community: all proposals are peer-reviewed with the help of area panels composed of active researchers. Besides funding research in all fields, the foundation supports large research programs in areas such as Biodiversity, Bioenergy, Global Climate Change, and in e-Science.”
Santjordia pagesi is different from other Medusae jellyfish because it is notably smaller and has a diameter of approximately ten centimeters. According to André Corrara Morandini, “others in this kind of environment are much larger.”
Medusae jellyfish are characterized by their umbrella-shaped bodies, ability to swim freely, and reduced stalk. This stalk has the jellyfish’s mouth at the tip and is called a manubrium. The manubrium connects to the main body cavity of the jellyfish, allowing it to feed and digest its prey.
Other features of this jellyfish species include the bright red cross on its underside, which researchers speculate may aid the jellyfish’s eating habits. The coloring may prevent predators from seeing the bioluminescent organisms that make up the jellyfish’s diet because its body is transparent.
The jellyfish is native to the Sumisu Caldera in the Ogasawara Islands, approximately 460 kilometers south of Tokyo, Japan. The caldera is a hydrothermally active deep-sea volcanic structure with a diameter of about ten kilometers and a depth of 812 meters. Its floor is an average of 900 meters below sea level.
Researchers believe the caldera formed because of an eruption of 30-60 ka, equaling 30,000-60,000 years. The caldera-forming eruption began on the island and probably produced a large eruption column. Sedimentary matter formed because of this eruption and then settled, producing the caldera we see today.
Phylogeny is based on genetic analyses. The new genus and subfamily of jellyfish, ‘St. George’s Cross Medusa’ (red) and closely related species (blue).
The species epithet was chosen in honor of Dr. Francesc Pagès (1962–2007), who died of an unexpected illness on May 4th, 2007. His scientific trajectory covered all the gelatinous zooplankton organisms and many geographical areas. However, it is worth emphasizing his stay in Japan and his frequent trips to the USA on expeditions with submersibles.
Morandini was one of the authors of the article featuring the new species, published by Zootaxa. He received his Bachelor’s, Master’s, and Ph.D. in Biological Sciences at Universidade de São Paulo (University of São Paulo). He is currently a full professor in the Department of Biology and the Center for Marine Biology Director.
Researchers at the Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC) and the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Japan also contributed to this finding.
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Volunteer Writer: Emma Bowser
Email: ebowser@umassd.edu