About Drymonema larsoni Bayha & Dawson, 2010
Drymonema larsoni, commonly called the pink meanie, is a species of true jellyfish in the class Scyphozoa. After a mass sighting of this jellyfish in the Gulf of Mexico in 2000, this species and the rest of its genus were reclassified into their own unique family, Drymonematidae, a new subgroup within Scyphozoa. Previously, Drymonema larsoni was thought to belong to the same family as the lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, but research later revealed it has both morphological and molecular differences from that family. Drymonema larsoni preys heavily on jellyfish species from the genus Aurelia, and it plays an important role in regulating the populations of these Aurelia species. This jellyfish is known for its large size: its bell can reach up to 70 cm (2.3 ft) in diameter, and it has extensive, elaborate oral arms and tentacles that can extend 25 to 30 m (80 to 100 ft). These body structures are key adaptations for predation: the tentacles create a large "fishing volume" to capture prey, while the oral arms can trap and digest multiple prey items at the same time. Larger individuals, defined as those with a bell diameter greater than 100 mm (3.9 in), are near-obligate predators of Aurelia species, while smaller individuals feed primarily on zooplankton.
