moon jelly adult, aquarium

The cosmopolitan Aurelia aurita is found throughout the tropics and as far north as 70� latitude and as far south as 40�. (J.E. Purcell, et al. 2001). In addition to frequenting the North American coast, they are usually found all around the coasts of the British Isles (Russell, 1953). In general, A. aurita is an inshore species that can be found in places like estuaries and harbors (Russell, 1953). They can be recognized by their horse-shoe shaped gonads. They live in ocean water temperatures that range from −6 �C to 31 �C; with optimum temperatures of 9 �C to 19 �C (Rodriguez, 1996). A. aurita prefers mildly cold salt water with consistent currents (Rodriguez, 1996). They can be found in 3 ppt salinity water but are typically found only in water with salinity above 23 ppt.