Description
General:
Pair of rounded, swimming nectophores brilliant blue in color, especially when illuminated with white light. Siphonosome frail and lacks bracts. Gastrozooids bright carmine red. Thin tentilla have a single terminal filament.
Geographic Information
Habitat description:
Mesopelagic.
Published depth range:
357 - 520 m
Additional Information
Color:
Brilliant glowing blue.
Looks like:
Desmophyes haematogaster
Key visual features:
While both G. lapislazula and D. haematogaster have rounded nectophores and red-pigmented gastrozooids, D. haematogaster can be distinguished by presence of bracts, disjunct pedicular canal, and a substantial portion of the somatocyst remains in contact with the upper wall of the hydroecium.
References
Encyclopedia of LifeTree of Life
World Register of Marine Species
National Center for Biotechnology Information
Haddock, S.H.D., C.W. Dunn, and P.R. Pugh (2005). A reexamination of siphonophore terminology and morphology, applied to the description of two new prayine species with remarkable bio-optical properties. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom, 85: 695-707. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0025315405011616
Citation:
Gymnopraia lapislazula
(Haddock et al., 2005) Deep-Sea Guide (DSG) at http://dsg/mbari.org/dsg/view/concept/Gymnopraia%20lapislazula. Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute (MBARI). Consulted on 2024-04-20.