 |
|
Invasive Australian jellyfish sighted in Gulf of Mexico in summer 2007
August 20, 2007The invasive Australian jellyfish, Phyllorhiza punctata, first reported in great quantities in the Gulf of Mexico in 2000, has made a vigorous reappearance this summer in waters from southwestern Louisiana to Morehead City, North Carolina. Beachgoers and boaters are encouraged to report their sightings of these exotic jellies to the Dauphin Island Sea Lab's jellyfish website, Dockwatch, at http://dockwatch.disl.org.
Since 2000, Phyllorhiza sightings have occurred in the Gulf as far west as Galveston Bay, Texas, but only in a handful of numbers. This year, not only are their numbers higher, but their range has extended up to the Mid-Atlantic states. "Reports from the Panhandle of Florida and North Carolina indicate they're pretty concentrated elsewhere," states Dauphin Island Sea Lab Senior Marine Scientist Dr. Monty Graham.
Ranging in size from a softball to a basketball, the Australian jellyfish present little to no danger in terms of their sting. A preponderance of jellies, however, could pose a threat to the commercial fishing and shrimping industry as they foul up trawling nets and consume eggs and larvae of important fishery species.
"We just started getting reports of Phyllorhiza appearing on the east coast of Florida and as far up as North Carolina this year. We don't think that jellies from the Gulf are pouring up the coast, necessarily, but the appearances and concentrations of these animals in both places may be related," says Dr. Graham.
"Phyllorhiza are prolific feeders; they can compete with commercially important fish for food, and they also eat the larvae of these fish. In their native waters, they tend to be fist-sized; here in the Gulf, they can be a big as dinner plates."
"We absolutely depend on the public's reporting the appearance of these creatures. We don't have the resources to survey the waters continuously, and by tracking their numbers and locations, we can try to get a handle on why they're here in such concentrations and what impact they have on the ecosystem," he concludes.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
"We just started getting reports of Phyllorhiza appearing on the east coast of Florida and as far up as North Carolina this year. We don't think that jellies from the Gulf are pouring up the coast, necessarily, but the appearances and concentrations of these animals in both places may be related," says Dr. Graham.
"Phyllorhiza are prolific feeders; they can compete with commercially important fish for food, and they also eat the larvae of these fish. In their native waters, they tend to be fist-sized; here in the Gulf, they can be a big as dinner plates."
"We absolutely depend on the public's reporting the appearance of these creatures. We don't have the resources to survey the waters continuously, and by tracking their numbers and locations, we can try to get a handle on why they're here in such concentrations and what impact they have on the ecosystem," he concludes.
Dauphin Island Sea Lab
Jellyfish Current Events and Jellyfish News RSSRevealing the evolutionary history of threatened sea turtles
It's confirmed: Even though flatback turtles dine on fish, shrimp, and mollusks, they are closely related to primarily herbivorous green sea turtles.
Genomics of large marine animals showcased in the Biological Bulletin
Though the slow moving purple sea urchin may look oblivious, lacking a head, eyes and ears, this prickly creature has an impressive suite of sensory receptors to detect outside signals.
Gene that magnetically labels cells shows potential as imaging tool
Mammalian cells can produce tiny magnetic nuggets after the introduction of a single gene from bacteria, scientists have found. The gene MagA could become a valuable tool for tracking cells' movement through the body via magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), says Xiaoping Hu, PhD, professor of biomedical engineering at Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.
Scientists Discover Stinging Truths About Jellyfish Blooms in the Bering Sea
A new study helps explain a cyclic increase and decrease of jellyfish populations, which transformed parts of the Bering Sea--one of the U.S.'s most productive fisheries--into veritable jellytoriums during the 1990s.
Isotope analysis reveals foraging area dichotomy for Atlantic leatherback turtles
The beaches of French Guiana constitute a major reproduction site for leatherback turtles. This sea turtle, although a protected species, is threatened by human activity: it ingests plastics, get accidentally caught in fishing nets, sees its egg-laying sites destroyed and its adults hunted illegally for their meat and their eggs.
Brown-led study rearranges some branches on animal tree of life
A study led by Brown University biologist Casey Dunn uses new genomics tools to answer old questions about animal evolution. The study is the most comprehensive animal phylogenomic research project to date, involving 40 million base pairs of new DNA data taken from 29 animal species.
Fossil record reveals elusive jellyfish more than 500 million years old
Using recently discovered "fossil snapshots" found in rocks more than 500 million years old, three University of Kansas researchers have described the oldest definitive jellyfish ever found.
Scripps Scientists Discover Fluorescence in Key Marine Creature
Fluorescent proteins found in nature have been employed in a variety of scientific research purposes, from markers for tracing molecules in biomedicine to probes for testing environmental quality. Until now, such proteins have been identified mostly in jellyfish and corals, leading to the belief that the capacity for fluorescence in animals is exclusive to such primitive creatures.
UCSB researchers discover the dawn of animal vision
By peering deep into evolutionary history, scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara have discovered the origins of photosensitivity in animals.
How does the opioid system control pain, reward and addictive behavior?
The opioid system controls pain, reward and addictive behaviors. Opioids exert their pharmacological actions through three opioid receptors, mu, delta and kappa whose genes have been cloned (Oprm, Oprd1 and Oprk1, respectively).
More Jellyfish Current Events and Jellyfish News Articles
 | Nuclear Jellyfish: A Novel (Serge a. Storms) by Tim Dorsey Just when you thought it was safe to go online . . . Serge has returned! That loveable collector of trivia, souvenirs, and murder methods is back with a new A‑Tour of Florida. And this time he's out to set the record straight! Serge is upset that his beloved state isn't getting its proper recognition, so he signs on with the big Internet travel services. But his new employers aren't... |
 | No More Jellyfish, Chickens or Wimps: Raising Secure, Assertive Kids in a Tough World by Paul Coughlin Today's children are more worried and fearful than children of previous generations, and well-intended parents are raising some of the culture's wimpiest kids. Overprotective mothers and fathers teach their kids to live passively; kids, in turn, become less and less able to make decisions, to strengthen their minds, and to cultivate courage - upon which, wrote C.S. Lewis, all other virtues... |
 | How to Keep Jellyfish in Aquariums: An Introductory Guide for Maintaining Healthy Jellies by Chad L. Widmer Many people want to learn how to keep and grow jellyfish in aquariums, but don't know where to start. Though the scientific literature contains clues, the language can be cryptic for the uninitiated, and the references can be tricky to track down without access to a well-stocked university library.In this first-of-its-kind guide, Chad L. Widmer presents in plain language some proven methods for... |
 | Happyslapped by a Jellyfish: The words of Karl Pilkington by Karl Pilkington A collection of baffling, hilarious, infuriating yet curiously compelling insights and anecdotes, diary entries, poems, "true" facts, cartoons, and assorted witterings concerning travel from the mind of Karl Pilkington, the unlikely star of the Ricky Gervais Show, the World's funniest and most successful... |
 | You Can't Use Your Brain If You're a Jellyfish by Fred Ehrlich Starting with the lowly earthworm, Dr. Fred Ehrlich looks at the brains of insects, birds, mammals, and finally humans. How are human brains different from those of other animals? What can they do that we can't? What can we do that they can't? Dr. Fred Ehrlich makes the most complicated subjects understandable to young minds. In his third contribution to this popular series, he again combines a... |
 | Peanut Butter And Jellyfishes: A Very Silly Alphabet Book (Millbrook Picture Books) by Brian P. Cleary |
 | Gooey Jellyfish (No Backbone! the World of Invertebrates) by Natalie Lunis |
 | Jenny Jellyfish: A Tale of Wiggly Jellies (No. 23 in Suzanne Tate's Nature Series) (Suzanne Tate's nature series) by Suzanne Tate Amazing facts about moon jellies, animals with no heart, bones or... |
 | Jellyfish (Welcome Books) by Lloyd G. Douglas Emergent readers can experience the world of marine biologists in this new underwater series. Beautiful full-color photographs and simple text introduce young readers to different plants and animals that live under the sea. Ocean Life discusses underwater habitats, such as coral reefs, and the eating habits of crabs, jellyfish, and... |
| Nuclear Jellyfish of New Jersey (American Chillers) by Jonathan Rand A seaside vacation turns into a day of... |
| © 2008 BrightSurf.com |