Copula sivickisi (Stiasny 1926)

Each of the 4 rhopalia of Carybdea sivickisi has 2 complex median eyes and 2 pairs of lateral eye spots – 24 eyes total!

Mature female Carybdea sivickisi squashed like a Chinese lantern, a diurnal resting position. Feeding and mating occur at night.

A Carybdea sivickisi planula settles and attaches to a surface, then develops into a polyp (~200-700 um diam) with 2-4 tentacles

Free-swimming Carybdea sivickisi planula larvae (each planula ~140 microns in diameter)

"Resting" mature female Carybea sivickisi showing its four rhopalia (stalked clubs with eyes)

Close-up of an embryo strand containing thousands of Carybdea sivickisi box jellyfish embryos (each embryo ~100 um in diameter)

Immature male Carybdea sivickisi attached to substrate using sticky pads on the top of its bell, a common daytime rest position.

After a few weeks in the polyp stage, the tiny Carybdea sivickisi polyps elongate and begin creeping around on the substrate

Female Carybdea sivickisi releases embryo strand. Strand consists of thousands of embryos linked together by a mucous covering.

Female Carybdea sivickisi (left) uses 3 of her 4 tentacles to insert sperm bundle into manubrium (oral tube), as male holds 4th

Male Carybdea sivickisi (top) passes pale orange sperm strands to female, forming a bundle (spermatophore) on female's tentacle

Male Carybdea sivickisi, tentacles entwined with female's, with spermatophore (strands hanging down from manubrium inside bell)

Courtship between male (top) and female (bottom) Carybdea sivickisi. The two "dance" until oral openings are in contact.

Side view of juvenile Carybdea sivickisi swimming.

Mature male Carybdea sivickisi jellyfish. The eight hemispherical orange structures are the male gonads.

Mature female Carybdea sivickisi. Long white structures are female gonads (ovaries + gastric pockets); 6 of 8 are visible here.

All Biocode files are based on field identifications to the best of the researcher’s ability at the time.