#crambione mastigophora

[coffeenuts]

[sitting-on-me-bum]

A red bell jellyfish (Crambione mastigophora) makes for a perfect hiding spot for a baby leatherjacket (Aluterus scriptus) at Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

IMAGE CREDIT: Jessica Leask

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@GriffithJellies: #jellyfish provide habitat for juvenile fish and are important for sustaining biodiversity in the world's oceans. About 2/3 of these "red bell" jellies (Crambione mastigophora) hosted fish, including these small carangids (trevallies). #GriffithSeaJelliesResearchLab #Ningaloo https://t.co/X90qotNkSf

[wigmund]

From Australian Geographic Image of the Week; April 13, 2017:

In The Shadow Of A Bell Jessica Leask

Congratulations to Jessica Leask on this week's winning AG Reader Photo for this stunning capture of a camera-shy juvenile Scribbled Leatherjacket (Aluterus scriptus) hiding behind a Red Bell Jellyfish (Crambione mastigophora) on Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia.

“Blooms of red bell jellyfish often occur on the Ningaloo Reef after a few days of strong northerly winds," explains Jessica.

“If you pay close attention to the jellyfish in deeper water, often you will notice numerous juvenile fish finding refuge from the big scary open ocean. The association is generally believed to be a temporary symbiosis to protect the juvenile fish from predators and possibly provide them with a food source. It took quite some time to capture this image of a juvenile scribbled leatherjacket accompanying a red bell jellyfish, as the leatherjacket would try to avoid me by darting to the other side of the jellyfish or even up inside its bell,” she says.

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[animalworld]

HAWKSBILL SEA TURTLE riding a JELLY FISH Eretmochelys imbricata riding Crambione mastigophora Truuk Lagoon, Micronesia ©SuperJolly

About the Turtle: The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. It has a generally flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. E. imbricata is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs.

About the Jellyfish: This is written about the Marshall Islands, but it likely true across Micronesia. 

The jellyfish Crambione mastigophora is probably the most common of the large jellies we see here at Kwajalein. They can be found both in the lagoon and drifting along the oceanside reefs. Occasionally they travel in large groups. Periodically a mass of them might drift into the Kwajalein end of the lagoon and end up filling the harbor and being washed ashore along the beaches. Do be wary of these, since their trailing tentacles can pack a pretty powerful sting.

Sources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hawksbill_sea_turtle http://underwaterkwaj.com/dvd1/Crambione-mastigophora.htm

Other posts:

Portuguese man o’war

Blue Button (Porpita porpita)

Flower Hat Jelly

[fishing-exposed]

@GriffithJellies: 'Red bell' #jellyfish (Crambione mastigophora) with some associated fish in their new kreisels at the Minderoo Exmouth Research Laboratory. #Ningaloo #GriffithSeaJelliesResearchLaboratory @minderoo https://t.co/RDxZsuRiS2