Boone, Coelenterata, Cruises of "Eagle" and " Ara," 1921-28 45 



Cassiopea frondosa Fewkes, Bull. Mus. Comp. Zool., vol. XI, p. 254, 

 pi. 1, figs. 7-19, pi. 2, figs. 1-2, pi. 3, figs. 1-3, 9, 10, 1882 ; ibid, 

 vol. 10, p. 80, pi. 1, fig. 16, 1883. 



Cassiopea frondosa (Pallas). 



Plate 8. 



Type: Pallas described the species in 1774 from the Caribbean 

 Archipelago. The depository of his type is not given, but probably 

 was the Leyden Museum. 



Distribution: Found throughout the "West Indian region and 

 Florida Reefs. It lives on sandy bottom in sheltered places, in pref- 

 erence to weedy bottom, and prefers purer water than does C. xama- 

 chana. In Jamaica frondosa has been found on the muddy bottom of 

 protected lagoons, especially those surrounded by mangroves near 

 the entrance to Kingston Harbor, Jamaica. 



Material examined: One specimen taken on the south coast of 

 Cuba, February 19, 1923; field no. 97, lot E. 



Color: In life this jellyfish is amber-yellow with a greenish tinge, 

 with a series of white spots near the margin. There is a large, bean- 

 shaped white spot above each marginal lappet and above this an 

 irregular line of three to five small white spots between each pair of 

 marginal sense organs, A more or less definite axial white line extends 

 through the length of each mouth-arm. The arrangement and number 

 of the white spots is quite variable. The frilled mouths are cinnamon 

 color. 



Habits : C. frondosa lives in fairly pure water in sheltered places 

 where it lies for long periods on the bottom with the oral surface 

 and mouth-arms uppermost, slowly contracting its disk in sluggish 

 rhythm. This serves not only to maintain the disk on the bottom 

 but also to create a water current over the mouth-arms. The habits 

 and physiology of this species have been reported by Dr. Bigelow 

 (1893). 



Technical description: C. frondosa is easily distinguished from 

 C. xamachana by the fact that frondosa has regularly twelve marginal 

 sense organs, while xamachana has normally sixteen, but these vary 

 from seventeen to twenty-three. C. frondosa has no ocelli on the 

 rhopalia and no median concavity on the exumbrella. It is amber 

 color with white spots. Disk diameter 110 to 260 mm., flattish with 

 rounded edges; no median sucker concavity on the exumbrella. The 



