Life history and settlement preferences of the edible jellyfish Catostylusmosaicus (Scyphozoa : Rhizostomeae)

The life history and settlement preferences of larvae of Catostylus mosaicu s (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae) (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824) were investigated in N ew South Wales, Australia, over a 2 mo period beginning in November 1998. T he life history consisted of an alternation between a sexual, medusoid stag e and an asexual, polypoid stage, and was similar to that described for oth er rhizostomes. Planula larvae were brooded by the adults. Approximately 4 d after collection, larvae settled on a variety of substrata including wood , sandstone, shell, seagrass and glass, and metamorphosed into four-tentacl ed polyps. The number of tentacles increased and polyps strobilated when th ey had between 12 and 20 tentacles. Strobilation occurred within 15 d of se ttlement, but only polyps that settled on the concave surfaces of the shell s strobilated. Both monodisk and polydisk strobilation was observed. Ephyra e were raised for one month and were observed developing oral arms. Polyps reproduced asexually via the formation of podocysts, by production of buds, and by partial fission.