Lion'S Mane Jellyfish

The bell of the Cyanea annaskala has 8 lobes, all of which have a central cleft. A distinguishing characteristic is the purple coloration of the arms that runs length wise throughout. The bell width is usually between 25 cm and 1 m Their oral arms usually have a base that is not thickened, between 17-24 shallow coronal muscle folds, and no pits in their muscle folds

Cyanea annaskala are endemic to the waters of South Eastern Australia, spanning depths from shallow waters close to the shore to 20 m below the surface. They are in particularly high concentration in Port Philip Bay in Victoria and Port Jackson in Sydney, New South Wales.

The gonads of the C. annaskala have been described as folded into a ribbon in a genital band. The stretched out gonadial ribbon reached 300 mm. Epithelial cavities will make chambers which fuse to become a genital sinus. Spermatozoa are formed in follicles which stay connected to the genital sinus, providing a conduit for the spermatozoa to travel. The fertilized egg becomes a polyp which is produced through the process of budding (strobilation). The polyp like stage (known as a scyphistoma) of development starts out as a coronate scyphistoma. It then becomes a semaeostome, followed by a rhizostome scyphistoma.