Abstract
A narcomedusa, Solmissus incisa , was collected off central California in the Monterey Submarine Canyon at 230 m in October 1996. The medusa was viewed and collected from the RV Point Lobos using the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana. Advantages of such in situ observation include the ability to recognize parasites (which appear as small, opaque circles) on the bell of the specimen. In the laboratory, the circular objects were found to be parasitic, cnidarian-like juveniles developing within the epidermis, stages that moved freely, extending and retracting their tentacles. It is not known whether these juveniles are true parasites - i.e. juveniles of another species drawing nutrition from the host medusa, or whether they are offspring being brooded. Solmissus is one of the most numerous genera of medusae in Monterey Bay, and this is the first report of parasites on members of that genus in the California Current system
Highlights
Narcomedusae are a major group of open ocean cnidarians that are found in deep water
Narcomedusae are dioecious and some larvae develop directly while others go through planula-actinula-medusa stages, but the ecology of some stages is complicated by parasitism by the actinula (Hyman, 1940)
A single specimen of Solmissus incisa was collected on 23 October 1996 at 230 m depth in Monterey Bay, California
Summary
Narcomedusae are a major group of open ocean cnidarians that are found in deep water. Solmissus incisa is a mesopelagic or bathypelagic narcomedusa living below 400 m (Larson, et al, 1991). Narcomedusae have separated their tie from the benthos with no well-known associated stage other than parasitic juveniles. Parasitic associations can be very complex in the Phylum Cnidaria and some taxa brood their young in specialized pouches within the adult epidermis. Narcomedusae are dioecious and some larvae develop directly while others go through planula-actinula-medusa stages, but the ecology of some stages is complicated by parasitism by the actinula (Hyman, 1940). The egg may devel*Received February 20, 1999.
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