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 disc-shaped, 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 spear-head 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.