Morphological and molecular data in the study of the evolution, population genetics and taxonomy of Rhizostomeae.

Rhizostomeae research based on morphological approaches was reinforced and diversified by new techniques after the 1970s, including developing methodologies for phylogenetic analysis, the rise of the polymerase chain reaction, and the emergence of different sequencing technologies. Here, we summarize the contribution of morphological and molecular data to the study of the classification and phylogenetic relationships of Rhizostomeae in addition to the use of molecular data in studies at the population, species, and supraspecific levels. Throughout the history of the study of the Rhizostomeae systematics, morphological data have been neglected when it comes to phylogenetic inferences, which is reflected in the lack of a phylogenetic analysis of the taxa within Rhizostomeae based on phenotypic characters of the adult medusa.

The branched mitochondrial respiratory chain from the jellyfish Stomolophus sp2 as a probable adaptive response to environmental changes.

During their long evolutionary history, jellyfish have faced changes in multiple environmental factors, to which they may selectively fix adaptations, allowing some species to survive and inhabit diverse environments. Previous findings have confirmed the jellyfish's ability to synthesize large ATP amounts, mainly produced by mitochondria, in response to environmental challenges. This study characterized the respiratory chain from the mitochondria of the jellyfish Stomolophus sp2 (previously misidentified as Stomolophus meleagris).

The importance of molecular characters when morphological variability hinders diagnosability: systematics of the moon jellyfish genus (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa).

Cryptic species have been detected across Metazoa, and while no apparent morphological features distinguish them, it should not impede taxonomists from formal descriptions. We accepted this challenge for the jellyfish genus , which has a long and confusing taxonomic history. We demonstrate that morphological variability in medusae overlaps across very distant geographic localities.

Reciprocal transplantation of the heterotrophic coral (Scleractinia: Dendrophylliidae) between distinct habitats did not alter its venom toxin composition.

is an azooxanthellate coral species recorded in the Indian and Atlantic oceans and is presently widespread in the southwestern Atlantic with an alien status for Brazil. outcompete other native coral species by using a varied repertoire of biological traits. For example, has evolved potent venom capable of immobilizing and digesting zooplankton prey.

Regenerative Capacity of the Upside-down Jellyfish .

This study provides the first observation that umbrellar tissue can lead to the formation of virtually all body structures in jellyfish of the order Rhizostomeae. The regeneration process was observed in two specimens of the upside-down jellyfish Bigelow, 1892, one housed at the Vienna Zoo, Austria and the other in a laboratory at the University of São Paulo, Brazil. The process was triggered by an injury and ended with the formation of two new sets of body structures.