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Morphological and Phylogenetic Analysis of a New Jellyfish of Phyllorhiza (Scyphozoa, Mastigiidae) from the East China Sea
by
, , , , , and
Xiaoyin Chen
1,2,3,†
,
Zhijie Hu
4,†,
Zifeng Zhan
1,
Yaojun Chen
4,
Sirong Mu
5,
Bingpeng Xing
2,*,‡ and
Kuidong Xu
1,*,‡ 1
Laboratory of Marine Organism Taxonomy and Phylogeny, Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Biodiversity and Conservation, Shandong Province Key Laboratory of Experimental Marine Biology, Institute of Oceanology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao 266071, China
2
Third Institute of Oceanography, Ministry of Nature Resources, Xiamen 361102, China
3
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
4
Ningbo Ocean World, Ningbo 315000, China
5
Taizhou Bureau of Natural Resources and Planning, Taizhou 318000, China
*
Authors to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
‡
LSID: urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:304DD600-C635-48B3-9B0C-491B9C8E9091.
Biology 2025, 14(6), 632; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14060632
Submission received: 5 April 2025
/
Revised: 12 May 2025
/
Accepted: 23 May 2025
/
Published: 29 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Section Marine Biology)
Simple Summary
Jellyfish of the genus Phyllorhiza are ecologically significant marine organisms that have recently been observed in increasing numbers in the East China Sea. These jellyfish can have substantial impacts on marine ecosystems, including influencing food webs and affecting aquaculture. In this study, we describe a new species of Phyllorhiza, named Phyllorhiza yurena Chen, Hu & Xing sp. nov., based on detailed morphological and molecular analyses. We highlight the importance of understanding the life cycle stages of jellyfish to accurately identify and classify species, which is crucial for ecological research and resource management.
Abstract
A new species of jellyfish, Phyllorhiza yurena Chen, Hu & Xing sp. nov., is described from the East China Sea based on an integrative approach combining morphological and molecular data. Specimens were collected from coastal waters and cultured in the laboratory to observe their complete life cycle, including polyps, ephyrae, and medusae. Distinct morphological features such as the blue lappet stems in ephyrae, white warts on the exumbrella, and multiple short club-shaped appendages on the mouth arms distinguish the new species from its congeners. Phylogenetic analyses based on mitochondrial (COI, 16S) and nuclear (18S, 28S) gene markers confirmed its taxonomic distinctiveness, with COI and 16S markers providing the most resolution. The study highlights the importance of combining life history observations with molecular tools for accurate jellyfish taxonomy and provides a revised identification key for the genus Phyllorhiza. This discovery contributes to the understanding of jellyfish biodiversity in the East China Sea and offers a baseline for future ecological and biogeographic studies.
