Head to head
Mauve Stinger vs Compass Jellyfish
Mauve Stinger
VS Compass Jellyfish
The mauve stinger and the compass jellyfish are two close relatives that can both turn up on British beaches in summer, and both can sting.
| Mauve Stinger | Compass Jellyfish | |
|---|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pelagia noctiluca | Chrysaora hysoscella |
| Relationship | A close relative of the compass jellyfish | A close relative of the mauve stinger |
| Bell size | A small, mauve to pink, warty bell about 3 to 12 cm across | A pale, translucent bell, usually around 15 to 30 cm across |
| Markings | Mauve to pink, with eight long tentacles and four frilly oral arms, and a blue-green glow when disturbed | 16 brown V-shaped lines radiating out like the points of a compass, with 24 long marginal tentacles and four frilly oral arms |
| Sting | Painful, and can leave marks on the skin for days | Painful to people, though rarely dangerous |
| Life cycle | Develops directly from the egg into a jellyfish, with no attached polyp stage | Starts life as a tiny polyp on the seabed, which buds off young jellyfish into the water |
| Swarms | Drifts in the open sea and sometimes forms swarms of millions, which can clog fishing nets | Appears in large numbers around Britain and Ireland in summer, and can be stranded on beaches by wind and tide |
| Conservation status | Not Evaluated, with swarms more frequent and larger in some areas in recent decades | Not Evaluated, native to the north-eastern Atlantic from Norway to the Mediterranean |
Mauve Stinger vs Compass Jellyfish: common questions
Why does the mauve stinger glow?
It gives off a blue-green glow when disturbed, which gives the species its scientific name, noctiluca, meaning night light.
Why is it called the compass jellyfish?
Its pale bell is marked with 16 brown V-shaped lines that radiate out like the points of a compass.
Which one lacks a polyp stage?
The mauve stinger, which develops directly from the egg into a jellyfish with no attached polyp stage on the seabed.