New record of Stellamedusa ventana Raskoff & Matsumoto, 2004 in the Eastern Tropical Pacific

Abstract

Three specimens of the rare scyphozoan Stellamedusa ventana Raskoff & Matsumoto, 2004 were collected during a vertical plankton tow on April 2013 in a shallow bay on the Eastern Tropical Pacific that was sampled eight times from 2011 to 2013. Previously observed only in Monterey Bay, California and the Sea of Cortéz; this new record for Bahía Salinas, Costa Rica represents a range extension of ~ 2900 km. This and other shallow water sightings in Monterey Bay suggest that this species is not restricted to mesopelagic environments, although shallow observations might be a consequence of local upwelling events.