Just a heads up today there are lots of spot winged comb jellies, clouds of tunicate strings and we saw a syphensphore? at Barcedera and later at La Machaca the later can sting and I had a few welts on my cheek after the dive.

Yeap, been there, done that, got stung myself. Those little suckers will wake you up. The pain is also gone pretty quickly.

I also meant stung today.

Sorry to hear that Cecil, I had no stinging but saw the welts when I was shaving.

Well Brian - that's simple - stop shaving.

There was bunches of jellies at Karpata this morning.

AAARRRRGGGGG!!!! Thanks for the update. I'm going to go buy a few more epi-pens for my trip.

Tribs

Good news strong current late morning and now just a few tunicates and we didn't see any other jellies, well at La Machaca/Cliff anyway.

Mara

You packed yet???

I don't shave my earlobes (usually) and theres a welt there as well.

Hey Brian - nope, not packed yet. Actually trying to make out my packing list. I do have gear separated and put into dive bags but not packed. Actually have to use mask, fins, snorkel and wetsuit tonight as I am watching my referral student do his last confined water dive before we head to Bonaire.

Oh - so you don't shave your earlobes - oh - OK - well then, never mind.

Brian and BT folk,
Thanks for posting this interesting jelly pic from Bonaire. I sent it to other jellyfolk at the Smithsonian and then on to Brown U. I thought the dialogue would be interesting for BT folk too. Bonaire is not just a wonderful place...it is an outrageously wonderful place!
Bud


From: Casey Dunn <casey_dunn@brown.edu> [Add to Address Book]
To: Allen Collins <collinsa@si.edu>, bud13@earthlink.net
Subject: Re: Jellies from Bonaire
Date: Mar 20, 2008 7:40 AM
Yup, it is a physonect- Forskalia edwardsi. The whorling of the
nectophores is indicative of Forskalia, and the id to species is based
on the overall density and gestalt of elements in the siphosome.



Best,
-C


On Mar 20, 2008, at 8:35 AM, Collins, Allen wrote:
> Hi Bud:
> I don't know the species, but it is definitely a big siphonophore. I
> think I make out a pneumatophore, so it appears to be some kind of
> physonect. But I could be way off.
> I am cc'ing Casey Dunn, who may be able to identify it further from
> the picture.
> --Allen
>
>
> Dr. Allen G. Collins - phone: (202) 633-0645, fax: (202) 633-8848
> Invertebrate Zoologist with Curatorial Responsibilities for
> Medusozoa and Hexactinellida
> National Systematics Laboratory of NOAA Fisheries Service
> National Museum of Natural History, MRC-153
> Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012
> USA
>
> For FedEx (or other couriers), please use:
> Smithsonian Institution, MRC 0163, Natural History Building, West
> Loading Dock
> 10th and Constitution Avenue, Washington, DC 20560
>
> The contents of this message are mine personally and do not
> necessarily reflect any position of the Government or the National
> Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: bud13@earthlink.net [mailto:bud13@earthlink.net]
> Sent: Thursday, March 20, 2008 7:53 AM
> To: Collins, Allen
> Subject: Jellies from Bonaire
>
> Hey Allen,
> I've seen a lot of jellies, siphonophores, tunicates on Bonaire but
> this is a first for me. What do you think these are? Bonaire is
> loaded with paired-bell siphonophores right now as well.
> Happy jelling,
> Bud

Bud

We saw two more today one at Kallies Reef about 18" across and another at Machaca, both were being eaten, the first by a small Hawksbill and the second by white spotted file fish. No pics as I was on wide angle and could not focus on a small semi translucent object.

Beware folks these are toxic and sting.

Glad to know they are being eaten...

Thanks Brian for the jelly report. Were you stung by the physonect? Many siphonophores do sting including MoWar.

Bud

Bud

I did find two whelts on my face but did not see or feel anything when it happened.

BT,
Brian's excellent siphonophore work reminds me we have started a new round of research about jelly ID and also their stings. This study will include different species and different levels of toxicity. We are also collecting basic field reports of sighted jelly species.

Please drop me an email or report it on BT any jellies sighted. If you are interested in partipating this spring/summer in the sting study drop me an email.

Thanks,
Bud Gillan