Recognizing the diversity of jellyfishes (Medusozoa, Rhopaliophora)

Abstract

This project aims to generate knowledge about thesystematics of jellyfish, focusing on morphological aspects and using moleculartools. Life cycle studies and biology data will also be used once they provideadditional data for identification and help comprehend the role of jellyfish inthe marine environment (blooms/outbreaks, trophic chains). The differential ofthe project lies in using an integrative approach [life cycle, biology,detailed morphology, molecular data] to diagnose and define species. It iscomposed of several smaller projects including different students andcollaborators. Concerning the systematics part: a book describing all speciesof scyphozoans and cubozoans was finished (271 species); we advanced inresolving the identification of species of the genera Aurelia,Cassiopea, Linuche and Nausithoe allof them with specimens from Brazil using both morphology and molecular data;the species Catostylus tagi from thePortuguese coast will be redescribed; the species Lychnorhiza lucerna has little genetic variability throughout itsdistributional range; data from the ultrastructure of the sperm of jellyfishescan help in distinguishing the classes Scyphozoa and Cubozoa. Concerning thebiology of species: aspects of the sexual reproduction is being investigatedfocusing on the somatic and gonadal growth; the life cycle of Catostylus tagi was studied and will bepublished soon; some species are under study to evaluate the effect oftemperature on development. Studies concerning the genome size of severaljellyfish species were conducted and data about species in cultivation willculminate with a data bank.