Recognition of the Californian cubozoan population as a new species—Carybdea confusa n. sp. (Cnidaria, Cubozoa, Carybdeida)

Abstract

A lot of confusion (over the last 90 years) surrounds the naming of the Californian carybdeid population, sighted near La Jolla and Santa Barbara, since its first description by Stiasny in 1922. The specimens were first identified as Carybdea rastonii and later as Carybdea marsupialis but the identification was doubted by several scientists. To clear up the confusion, specimens of the Californian population were compared to specimens of all known carybdeid species. This comparison revealed that the Californian population represents an undescribed carybdeid species, named Carybdea confusa n. sp., being identified by the combination of the following characters: Gastric phacellae (single rooted, single stemmed), velarial canals (2 velarial canal roots/octant; canals multiple-branched with rounded tips) and pedalial canal (knee bend with thorn-like appendage).