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Larval settlement behavior in the jellyfishAurelia aurita (Linnaeus) (Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae)

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Abstract

The distribution of sessile marine invertebrates is often the consequence of the selection of a suitable substrate by motile larvae. Motile planulae larvae ofAurelia aurita (Linnaeus) are exposed to an artificial substrate in the laboratory to determine if they possess the capacity both for specific orientation and for discrimination of surface texture at time of attachment. More than 90% (P<0.001) of the planulae fasten to the underside of objects. As a result, developing scyphistomae hang with the oral surface downward as commonly encountered in the field. The effect of surface texture on planula attachment is equivocal; this may reflect an indifference to surface texture, a limited capacity to locomote across rough substrate, or a mechanism of response sensitive only to large surface irregularities. These results are compared with those obtained for the planulae ofCyanea capillata (Linnaeus). The planular effected orientation of the scyphistoma may be generally true for coastal representatives of the Semaeostomeae, and perhaps for other shallow water Scyphozoa (including the Class Cubozoa).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Trinity College, 06106, Hartford, Connecticut, USA

    Robert H. Brewer

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  1. Robert H. Brewer
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Contribution Number 117, University of Connecticut Marine Research Laboratory, Noank, Connecticut 06340 U.S.A.

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Brewer, R.H. Larval settlement behavior in the jellyfishAurelia aurita (Linnaeus) (Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae). Estuaries 1, 120–122 (1978). https://doi.org/10.2307/1351601

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