Mauve stinger

Scientific name : Pelagia noctiluca

Jellyfish with a semi-spherical umbrella, from which a fringed long manubrium hangs down. From the edge of the umbrella many thin and long tentacles depart. The whole body is purple, pink or almost brown, very translucent, covered with small warts. The specific name depends on the bioluminescence that the animal can produce during night time. Umbrella and manubrium may be ten centimetres long, while the tentacles may be longer than one meter.
It lives in the open sea, but sometimes large aggregations may come close to the shores and remain inside coastal bays, creating problem to bathing because of the elevated poisoning power.

Mauve stinger Author FEDERICO BETTI Id: 1