Life cycle of Craspedacusta sowerbyi xinyangensis

To explore the life cycle of Craspedacusta, the authors collected male and female specimens of the Craspedacusta sowerbyi xinyangensis in a small fire-fighting pond in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province in July, 2005 and 2006. The development of C. sowerbyi xinyangensis was studied from zygote to medusa by means of light microscopy and digital camera. The zygotes of C. sowerbyi xinyangensis are globular and smooth (90 - 105 μm diameter) and have an equal, total cleavage to the two-cell stage 15 min after fertilization. The embryos enter the four-cell stage after another 15 min and become multicellular embryos after 3h 15 min. At this stage the embryos have a diameter similar to fertilized eggs but have uneven surfaces that are distinct from the smooth surfaces of the uncleaved zygotes. Solid gastrulae are formed 7 h after fertilization. These are spherical planulae with short surface cilia that begin to swim in slow clockwise circles. After 12 h, they lose their cilia, cease swimming and become elongated planulae with one end larger than the other. Rod-like planulae, similar in thickness at both ends, are formed after an additional 7 h. After 4 days, the planulae develop into tiny polyps having two germ layers and a gastrovascular cavity. The polyp mouth is 50 - 62 µm in diameter, lacking tentacles but having nematocysts around the mouth. Planulae become mature polyps after 10 days (15 days after fertilization). Medusa buds (45 - 88 μm diameter) are formed by polyp budding, which soon become free-living medusae with 8 tentacles (380 - 620 μm diameters). Sometimes, the movement of frustules, which are formed by the polyps and similar to planulae in morphology can also be observed.