While in Hawai'i, we walked some east-facing beaches to look for pelagic invertebrates washed ashore.
Above, a small Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis) on Kaua'i on 4 April 2024.
Below, a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata). (Interestingly, the Janthina we found on Kaua'i were quite a bit smaller than the Janthina we observed in California back in March.)
One of the beaches where these species were found:
2 comments:
Was this actually P. physalis, or could it have been P. utriculus?
Hi, Alan!
Thanks for this question! Admittedly, I don't know all of the details about Physalia taxonomy. I was trying to put this post together last night when I encountered the question about the species name.
The website I use for taxonomic questions -- World Register of Marine Species -- has Physalia utriculus synonymized with Physalia physalis. So although this form (in the photo) might have a single long tentacle and used to be considered a separate species, it looks like it is now considered a form of one species. However, if you have additional info, please share! I'm learning as I go.
Thanks again!
:) Jackie
P.S. Here's the web page with the details about Physalia taxonomy:
https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=387269
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