Cannonball jellyfish Cannonball jellyfish The cannonball jellyfish ("Stomolophus meleagris"), also known as the cabbagehead jellyfish, is a species of jellyfish in the family Stomolophidae. Its common name derives from its similarity to a cannonball in shape and size. Its dome-shaped bell can reach in diameter and the rim is sometimes colored with brown pigment. Underneath the body is a cluster of oral arms that extend out around the mouth. These arms function in propulsion and as an aid in catching prey. Cannonballs are prominent from North America's eastern seaboard all the way to Brazil, but are also found in parts of the
Jellyfish Lake that live in their tissues and part of their nutrition from captured zooplankton. However, the golden jellyfish are morphologically, physiologically, and behaviourally distinct from the spotted jellyfish. They are easily distinguished from the spotted jellyfish by the almost complete loss of spots on the exumbrella and the almost complete loss of their clubs, an appendage attached to the oral arms. Marine biologist Michael Dawson proposed that the golden jellyfish that inhabit Jellyfish Lake be classified as a subspecies ("Mastigias cf. papua etpisoni") of the spotted jellyfish living in the nearby lagoons. The species identification is uncertain (denoted by cf. in