In Search of the Elusive Freshwater Jellyfish with The Biological Recording Company

Join John Terenzini from the University of Plymouth, as he shares his research about the strange and elusive freshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii.

The freshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii, was first described in London by British zoologist Ray Lankester in 1880. In the 145 years since it was described, there have been only a few reports of this unique species in the United Kingdom.

This presentation summarises research from the University of Plymouth investigating the presence and distribution of C. sowerbii across the UK using citizen science. C. sowerbii is a small jellyfish that typically appears sporadically in the summer months in warm, still water, so can be difficult to spot. Learning more about this species in the UK will help to fill in gaps in global distribution and potentially assist in discovering more about the genetic lineages of this widespread species.

Have your notepad and questions at the ready, as this presentation will follow with a Q&A with the tutor. In case you can’t attend but don’t want to miss it, book a space anyway and receive a link of the post-event recording via The Biological Recording Company Eventbrite page.

John Terenzini comes from a long background in outdoor education and guiding outdoor activities across the world. His interest in the natural world stems from his immersion in exploring new areas and looking for interesting species. He recently switched career focus from outdoor education towards research into understudied species like jellyfish. His first citizen science project was focused on looking into the presence, distribution, and seasonality of marine jellyfish in Hong Kong. He brings his experience to the current citizen science project examining the presence and distribution of the freshwater jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii, across the United Kingdom.

Image credit: Hakan Söderholm