juvenile purple striped jellyfish, Chrysaora (Pelagia) colorata

Juvenile specimens of Chrysaora Pelagia colorata Purple striped Jellyfish Phylum Cnidaria Class Scyphozoa Order Semaeostomeae Family Pelagiidae Chrysaora colorata has a relatively limited range primarily off the coast of California Purple striped jellyfish are a popular species for display at public aquariums but these captive individuals never attain the spectacular dimensions or coloration of their wild counterparts Older specimens usually have very distinct purple pigment patterns but younger individuals have a pale pinkish bell that lacks dramatic stripes Juveniles also have long thin dark maroon tentacles that assume a more subdued coloration as they age Juveniles as shown here have beautiful lacy oral arms sometimes as long as 4 to 5 meters Very old individuals often lack these long flowing oral arms and have thicker pale tentacles They feed upon a wide variety of zooplankton including copepods larval fish and fish eggs