First Record of Two Cold-Water Jellyfishes Aurelia limbata and Parumbrosa polylobata (Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae: Ulmaridae) in Korean Coastal Waters

Abstract

Most scyphomedusae jellyfishes recorded in Korean waters are temperate and subtropical species. In the present study, two cold-water jellyfishes from Korean waters are first described. Scyphomedusae were collected from the coasts of Gangneung and Ulsan of the East Sea, and Boryeong, and the eastern area of the Yellow Sea from June 2006 to May 2015. Scyphomedusae collected in Ulsan and Gangneung were identified morphologically as Aurelia limbata Brandt, 1835. Their umbrella was 250-500 mm in width and 30-50 mm in height; the exumbrella was white and the subumbrella was dark brown in color. The vascular system was complex with anastomosed branches. Individuals of this species lived at about 6.6-9.9°C and 30-50 m depth in Korean waters. Scyphomedusae collected from the center of the Yellow Sea and from Boryeong were identified as Parumbrosa polylobata Kishinouye, 1910. Their umbrella was discshaped, 80-200 mm in width and 20-40 mm in height. Its milky white gonads could be seen through the transparent exumbrella. The stomach cavity was round and flat with four interradial cavities connected by subgenital cavities, and the four oral arms were bifurcated and spearhead shaped. Individuals were found at about 6.4-10.0°C and 40-90 m depth in Korean waters. The identities of both species were confirmed by molecular analysis using nuclear ribosomal DNA sequences.

The complete mitochondrial genome of the jellyfish Aurelia coerulea (Cnidaria and Scyphozoa) with phylogenetic analysis

“…Molecular phylogenetic tree (Figure 1) using 13 PCGs of Aurelia showed that our A. coerulea formed a cluster with A. limbata which was collected from Yangyang City, Korea. These two species have been reported from Korean coastal waters, in which A. limbata only occurred northeastern coasts of Korea in cold seasons (Chang et al 2016). This relationship was in accordance with previous molecular Aurelia phylogeny revealed by nuclear rDNA ITS-1 and mitochondrial cox1 markers (Dawson et al 2005).…”

The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genusAurelia(Cnidaria: Scyphozoa)

“…This morphological pattern is also associated to records in the northeastern Pacific, including the cover photograph of the January 1974 issue of Audubon magazine, featuring a specimen from the Aleutian Islands ( Larson, 1990 ; Gershwin, 2001 ). However, more recent accounts, including the sequences herein, are only from the northwestern Pacific ( Miyake et al, 2002 ; Chang et al, 2016 ).…”

“…6 Dawson & Jacobs, 2001 . Dawson, 2003 ; Dawson, Gupta & England, 2005 ; Ki et al, 2008 ; Häussermann, Dawson & Försterra, 2009 ; Ramšak, Stopar & Malej, 2012 ; Dong, Liu & Liu, 2015 ; He et al, 2015 ; Chang et al, 2016 ; Chiaverano, Bayha & Graham, 2016 ; Scorrano et al, 2016 ; Abboud, Gómez-Daglio & Dawson, 2018 ; Dong, 2018 .…”

“…4 Dawson & Jacobs, 2001. Dawson, 2003Dawson, Gupta & England, 2005;Ki et al, 2008;Ramšak, Stopar & Malej, 2012;Bayha & Graham, 2014;Dong, Liu & Liu, 2015;He et al, 2015;Chang et al, 2016;Chiaverano, Bayha & Graham, 2016;Scorrano et al, 2016;Dong et al, 2017;Abboud, Gómez-Daglio & Dawson, 2018;Dong, 2018. Type material: Holotype: Polyps, MZUSP 8650. Paratypes: Tissue (Polyps), MZUSP 8651.…”

“…6 Dawson & Jacobs, 2001. Dawson, 2003Dawson, Gupta & England, 2005;Ki et al, 2008;Häussermann, Dawson & Försterra, 2009;Ramšak, Stopar & Malej, 2012;Dong, Liu & Liu, 2015;He et al, 2015;Chang et al, 2016;Chiaverano, Bayha & Graham, 2016;Scorrano et al, 2016;Abboud, Gómez-Daglio & Dawson, 2018;Dong, 2018. Type material: Based on our inquiries, no type material remains. Other material from the vicinity of the type locality (New Britain, Papua New Guinea) might remain in the private collection of Dawson, Gupta & England (2005), as they deposited a sequence from this locality in GenBank (Table S4).…”