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Updated: Jan 9, 2026

Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization and 5-Ethynyl-2'-Deoxyuridine Labeling for Stem-Like Cells in the Hydrozoan Jellyfish Cladonema pacificum
Published on: August 3, 2022
Morphological and Molecular Analyses of Cladonema cf. Californicum (Hydrozoa: Anthoathecata) from China
Xin-Yu Fang1, Shen Lin1, Xiao-Peng Zhong1
1Fujian Key Laboratory on Conservation and Sustainable Utilization of Marine Biodiversity, Fuzhou Institute of Oceanography, College of Geography and Oceanography, Minjiang University, Fuzhou 350108, China.
Abstract:
In this study, hydrozoan medusae collected from a home aquarium in Sanming, China, were tentatively identified as Cladonema cf. californicum Hyman, 1947, based on DNA barcoding. Morphologically, these specimens differed from known Cladonema medusae, including C. californicum, by possessing a manubrium with protuberances and tentacles with one to three (typically two) adhesive branches, along with three to six (usually four) stinging branches emerging laterally from the main tentacle shaft. These morphological distinctions were supported by molecular phylogenetic analyses using the mitochondrial 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene sequences. Nonetheless, COI sequences revealed that C. cf. californicum clustered with juvenile Cladonema californicum medusae from California, USA, with a minimal genetic distance of 0.008, indicating potential conspecificity. Given the morphological similarities among juvenile Cladonema medusae, the Californian specimens may have been misidentified. Further investigations focusing on the polyp stage and geographic distribution are necessary to fully resolve the taxonomic status of these medusae and clarify their relationship with C. californicum.
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