White Spotted Jellyfish

Scientific name: Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld 1884

Common names: White spotted jellyfish, Australian spotted jellyfish

Native To: Australia and the Philippines (Graham et al. 2003)

Date of U.S. Introduction: First discovered in 1981 in California (Carlton and Geller 1993)

Images: Google

Means of Introduction: Probably entered from the Pacific Ocean through the Panama Canal on the hulls of ships (Graham et al. 2003)

Impact: Preys on native species; negatively impacts shrimp industry by clogging nets and damaging fishing equipment (Perry et al. 2000)

Current U.S. Distribution: Southeastern U.S. coastal region (NAS Database map)

Management Plans: Aquatic Species

Selected Internet Resources:

• Federal Government
• State Government
• University/Academic
• International
• Organizations

Phyllorhiza punctata von Lendenfeld, 1884
Integrated Taxonomic Information System.
Taxonomy

Marine Invasive Species: Phyllorhiza punctata (PDF | 57 KB)
DOI. NPS. Natural Resource Program Center.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Dispersion

Phyllorhiza punctata - Nonindigenous Aquatic Species Database
DOI. USGS. Florida Integrated Science Center.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Special Note: Distribution by county

Phyllorhiza punctata - Indian River Lagoon Species Inventory
Smithsonian Institution. Smithsonian Marine Station at Fort Pierce.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Phyllorhiza punctata - Dockwatch
Dauphin Island Sea Lab (Alabama).
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution; Controls

Spotted Jellyfish (PDF | 66 KB)
University of Georgia. Marine Extension Service. Shellfish Research Laboratory.
Photographs; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

Spotted Jellyfish: Alien Invader (Sep 2000; PDF | 167 KB)
University of Southern Mississippi. Gulf Coast Research Laboratory. J. L. Scott Marine Education Center.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Distribution; Dispersion

Phyllorhiza punctata - Invasive Species Compendium (Beta)
CAB International.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

Phyllorhiza punctata (jellyfish) - ISSG Global Invasive Species Database
World Conservation Union. Invasive Species Specialist Group.
Identification/Description; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Organizations

Australian Spotted Jellyfish
Barataria-Terrebonne National Estuary Program.
Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

White-spotted jellyfish - Introduced Marine Species of Hawai'i
Bishop Museum; University of Hawai'i.
Taxonomy; Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Dispersion

Least Wanted Aquatic Invaders: Spotted Jellyfish
Elkhorn Slough Foundation.
Identification/Description; Photographs; Impacts; Habitat; Distribution

Australian spotted jellyfish - Galveston Bay Invasive Species Risk Assessment (PDF | 111 KB)
Galveston Bay Estuary Program.
Identification/Description; Introduction History; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution

Australian spotted jellyfish
Guide to Invasive Species of the Galveston Bay Area (Texas).
Identification/Description; Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Life Cycle; Habitat; Distribution; Controls

The Blobs of Summer - OnEarth Magazine (2002)
Natural Resources Defense Council.
Photographs; Introduction History; Impacts; Distribution

Citations

Carlton, J.T. and J.B. Geller. 1993. Ecological roulette: the global transport of nonindigenous marine organisms (PDF | 1.2 MB). Science 261:78-82.

Graham, W.M., D.L. Martin, D.L. Felder, V.L. Asper, and H.M. Perry. 2003. Ecological and economic implications of a tropical jellyfish invader in the Gulf of Mexico. Biological Invasions 5:53-69.

Perry, H.M., T. Van Devender, W. Graham, D. Johnson, K. Larsen, W.D. Burke, and C. Trigg. 2000. Diaphanous denizens from down under: first occurrence of Phyllorhiza punctata in Mississippi coastal waters. Gulf and Caribbean Fisheries Institute Annual Meeting, Biloxi, Mississippi. November 6-10, 2000.