Polyorchis penicillatus

The Penicillate Jellyfish

Phylum Cnidaria
Class Hydrozoa
Order Hydroida
Suborder Leptomedusae
Family Polyorchidae
Genus Polyorchis 
Species penicillatus

Description: Up to 5 cm in diameter; bell is taller than it is wide and transparent; numerous tentacles with a bright red eyespot at each base; four radial canals; gonads are fingerlike and hang between the bell and the tube on which the mouth is located.

Habitat: Often found near floats, although they are more commonly found near the bottom.

Natural History: It feeds on plankton and small crustaceans. This jellyfish was found floating in the water off the Evergreen beach.