(Mayer, 1900)
Description
Umbrella bell-shaped, about as high as wide [Podocoryne borealis ]; jelly thin, in apical region somewhat thicker with a tendency towards apical projection; exumbrella with scattered nematocysts; velum broad. Four radial canals and ring canal narrow.
Gastric peduncle absent or very short; manubrium four-sided, shorter than length bell cavity. Mouth with four branching lips armed with terminal clusters of nematocysts, lips branching dichotomously once or twice.
Gonads interradial, on upper half of manubrium and separated radially; no asexual budding [P.borealis-female; P.borealis-male].
With 16-32 closely spaced marginal tentacles, of which four are perradial and four interradial; tentacles frequently coiled in tight spirals. Ocelli absent.
Development: P.borealis-development.
Size
Umbrella 4-5 mm high.
Colour
Gonad region of manubrium yellowish brown [P.borealis-habitus ]; marginal tentacle bulbs dark red, reddish yellow, reddish brown, brown, or deep yellow brown.
Ecology and depth range
Coastal. Medusa never commonly taken in the plankton and recorded from most months of the year; in British waters only absent in February, October and November.
Distribution in the North Sea
Norwegian coast and North Sea south of Jutland Bank.
World distribution
North Atlantic Ocean, Mediterranean Sea.
[After Russell, 1953a; Russell, 1977b; Kramp, 1959]