Biometry and size distribution of Crambionella annandalei and Chrysaora spp. along the coast of Andhra Pradesh, India

The biometry and seasonal size distribution of the medusae, Crambionella annandalei and Chrysaora spp. were investigated from fortnightly gillnet landings between January 2017 and December 2018 along the West coast of the Bay of Bengal. Although both taxa exhibited strong patterns of seasonality in abundance and growth, being commonest and smallest in summer, C. annandalei were largely absent in the monsoon and post-monsoon seasons, while Chrysaora spp. could be recorded throughout the year in a variety of size groups. There was a strong cohesion in pattern between years, suggesting that the monsoon impacts populations of both species, albeit in slightly different ways. We provide rare, field-based measurements of growth for both species that are in broad agreement with the data published for similar taxa elsewhere: our length–weight data provide useful contributions to baseline information.