Atypical Mouth Shape of Polyps of the Jellyfish, Aurelia aurita, from Chesapeake Bay, Delaware Bay, and Gulf of Mexico

Fully developed polyps of Chesapeake Bay Aurelia aurita reared in the laboratory from known medusae were found to have circular mouths instead of the typical cruciform shape. This characteristic distinguishes them from those of Chrysaora quinquecirrha and Cyanea capillata in the same region and could be useful for identification purposes in field collections. Laboratory-reared polyps of Aurelia aurita from Delaware Bay and the Gulf of Mexico also retained a circular mouth throughout their development. This mouth shape distinguishes the polyps from these three regions from those of the same species from higher latitudes and appears to be a deviation from the normal development of the organism.