Standard Presentation (15 mins) Australian Marine Sciences Association 2022

Alatina alata husbandry – Jellies are my jam (#157)

Sally Turner 1 , Jamie Seymour 1 , Robert Courtney 1
  1. James Cook University, Smithfield, QLD, Australia

Cubozoan growth rate and animal husbandry experiments have been difficult to conduct under laboratory conditions. This is due to the limited understanding of the requirements needed to hold healthy cubozoans for extended periods of time. Recent advancements in cubozoan husbandry have presented the opportunity to conduct preliminary trials in rearing the Irukandji jellyfish, Alatina alata. Juvenile A. alata medusa were obtained by inducing metamorphosis from laboratory-based polyp cultures. Medusa were housed in three different tank types and fed high quality Artemia sp nauplii twice a day. Alatina alata medusa growth rates were recorded twice a week along with notable variations in behaviour of specimens in each tank type. The results of this experiment aim to improve our understanding of Cubozoan early-stage medusa requirements and contribute to improved cubozoan husbandry practices.