Deepstaria

Deepstaria is a genus of jellyfish known for their thin, sheet-like bodies. The genus is named after the Deep Star 4000, which collected the holotype of the type species, D. enigmatica.^[1]

Deepstaria
A large Deepstaria jellyfish
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Scyphozoa
Order:	Semaeostomeae
Family:	Ulmaridae
Genus:	Deepstaria Russell, 1967[1]
Type species
Deepstaria enigmatica Russell, 1967
Species
See text

Description

Characteristic features of this genus include: a large, thin umbrella, lack of tentacles, and long oral arms.^[2] Due to lack of tentacles and large size, Deepstaria captures prey by encapsulating the prey with its whole body^[3] and digesting through their gastro-vascular canal system,^[4] allowing for proper distribution of nutrition, circulation of oxygen, and waste removal.

Species list

As of 2017^[update], WoRMS recognizes two species within the genus:^[5]

• Deepstaria enigmatica Russell, 1967^[1]
• Deepstaria reticulum Larson, Madin & Harbison, 1988^[2]