Mushroom Cap Jelly

Scientific Name

Rhopilema verrilli

Distribution

The mushroom cap jellyfish is an uncommon visitor into lower Chesapeake Bay during the fall and early winter.

A mushroom cap jelly in Tabbs Creek, a tributary of the Rappahannock River. © Douglas Somervell.
Sting

The sting is mild, if felt at all.

Size & Shape

Like the cannonball jellyfish, the mushroom cap jelly has a firm and dense swimming bell, although its bell tends to be flatter. The bell lacks tentacles around its outside rim, but it does have thick oral arms that extend down from the center. An adult can have a bell to up to 20 inches in diameter.

Color

The bell may be creamy white to light yellow, brown, blue, pink or gree. The oral arms may have brown or yellowish markings.

< Lion's Mane

Cannonball >