''Rhopilema nomadica'', the nomad jellyfish, is a

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

indigenous to tropical warm waters of the Indian and Pacific Oceans. Since 1970's it has been also found in Mediterranean Sea, where it entered via the

Suez Canal The Suez Canal (; , ') is an artificial sea-level waterway in Egypt, Indo-Mediterranean, connecting the Mediterranean Sea to the Red Sea through the Isthmus of Suez and dividing Africa and Asia (and by extension, the Sinai Peninsula from the rest ...

( Lessepsian migration). It has been found in the Eastern Mediterranean, off the coast of Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, Cyprus, Turkey, and in the

Aegean Sea The Aegean Sea is an elongated embayment of the Mediterranean Sea between Europe and Asia. It is located between the Balkans and Anatolia, and covers an area of some . In the north, the Aegean is connected to the Marmara Sea, which in turn con ...

off the coast of

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

. ''R. nomadica'''s body is light blue and the bell is rounded. It can grow up to 10 kg of weight, and its bell is commonly 40–60 cm in diameter, but can be up to 90 cm. The European Union lists it as one of the worst invasive marine species in European waters.

Effects on humans

''R. nomadica'' can cause very painful injuries to humans, since it has vermicular filaments, which are covered in venomous stinging cells, in the mouth arms. The ''R. nomadica'' had caused the largest numbers of envenomisations along the southern

Levant The Levant ( ) is the subregion that borders the Eastern Mediterranean, Eastern Mediterranean sea to the west, and forms the core of West Asia and the political term, Middle East, ''Middle East''. In its narrowest sense, which is in use toda ...

coast. These jellyfishes are notorious for the large swarms they form in the summertime. The ''R. nomadica'' have caused a socioeconomic problem in Israel because of such outbreaks, during which they can release their venomous stinging cells. The outbreak has caused seaside visits to be reduced from 3-10.5%, causing a monetary loss of $6 million for recreational beaches. Their presence can clog up

seawater Seawater, or sea water, is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% (35 g/L, 35 ppt, 600 mM). This means that every kilogram (roughly one liter by volume) of seawater has approximat ...

intake systems, such as those used by seawater-cooled

power plant A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the electricity generation, generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electr ...

Nutrition

''R. nomadica'' are planktotrophic, meaning that they feed off of plankton for their nutritional and also for their survival needs.

Environmental Needs

''R. nomadica'' are seen to survive in various water temperatures. They can survive from anywhere from 16 degree Celsius to 31 degree Celsius.

References

5. Uysal, İ., & Turan, C. (2020). Impacts and risk of venomous and sting marine alien species in Turkish marine waters. Biharean Biologist, 14(1), 41-8.

Effects on humans

Nutrition

Environmental Needs

References

Further reading