Versuriga

Appearance

"Versuriga", like other members of the phylum "Cnidaria", has its most notable feature being its umbrella shaped bell, reaching a diameter of up to 600 mm. Rather than being completely round or flat, its bell is made up of pointed grooves, growing in length closer to the center. Its body is mostly made up of umbrella and hemispherical shapes. This includes its muscular fields, which are also subumbrella shaped, as well as its canal features. Another of its identifiable features is its coloration, ranging from semi-translucently pink and purple at its center, eventually transitioning into a brown color. To distinguish between the "Versuriga" and other similar species, there are a few particular features to examine. There is a distinct difference between the shape of female and male genital double somites. Also, the structures of the appendages are discernible, specifically the antennae, maxillipeds, and legs. Between the female and male "Versuriga", there are also morphological differences. Some of these differences include the male body being more slender, and that certain parts of the legs differ, in free segment length and endopod length.

Naming

The generic name "Versuriga" was derived from the genus "Versura", originally described by Ernst Haeckel. The type species of the genus, "Versura palmata", was found to instead be a specimen of Mastigias papua; the other species within "Versura" were regarded as doubtful and unidentifiable, rendering the genus name invalid. Paul Lassenius Kramp proposed "Versuriga" as a result in order to assign a genus to the previously described "Crossostoma anadyomene", which Haeckel had earlier referred to "Versura" due to "Crossostoma" having been preoccupied. "Versura" is derived from the Latin, meaning "about to turn ".

The specific epithet derives from the Ancient Greek word, meaning "emerging, surfacing".

Distribution

"Versuriga" is a very rare sight, and thus has seldom been studied or recorded. Until recently, the majority of Scyphozoa sightings, the class that "Versuriga" belongs to, were unreliable as they were mostly first hand accounts rather than scientific recordings. However, it has been found off the coasts of Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, and Australia, Vietnam. "Versuriga" is an occupant of nearshore waters, where its food is most abundant. Recent studies in regards to "Versuriga" distributions in the Philippines found that "Versuriga" had highest abundance in Leyte Gulf, which was the location with the highest observed mean temperatures. This suggests that "Versuriga" may prefer or best thrive in warmer climates.

Behavior

The "Versurgia" begins its life as an egg, laid by an adult medusa. The egg is dispersed through the water column, developing into a free-living, free-floating planula. It remains floating until it locates hard substrate in which it will attach to. While attached to the hard substrate, it further grows and develops, going through more stages of its life cycle, a scyphistoma and then a strobila stage. Finally, it is able to detach from the hard surface and becomes a youth medusa.

Food

As a member of the phylum Cnidaria, "Versuriga" are carnivorous, having a diet consisting mainly of drifting zooplankton.