Vampyrocrossota is a genus of hydrozoans of the family Rhopalonematidae.[1] The genus only contains one species, Vampyrocrossota childressi.[2] Unlike many hydromedusae, these animals do not have a sessile stage. Rather, they spend their entire lives in the water column as plankton. It is the only known species with a medusa that is truly black.[1]
Vampyrocrossota childressi has only been found in the Pacific Ocean off California and British Columbia.[3] This deep-sea animal lives between 600–1475 m depth.[1]
This species was named after James J. Childress, a marine biologist at the University of California, Santa Barbara who helped discover this jellyfish.[4]
Vampyrocrossota is a genus of hydrozoans of the family Rhopalonematidae. The genus only contains one species, Vampyrocrossota childressi. Unlike many hydromedusae, these animals do not have a sessile stage. Rather, they spend their entire lives in the water column as plankton. It is the only known species with a medusa that is truly black.
