Compass Jellyfish

This Compass Jellyfish Chrysaora hysoscella was stranded on the sand below the cliffs at Hunstanton.  The Compass Jellyfish gets its name from the brown, V-shaped markings on the bell which resemble the points of a compass.  The long trailing tentacles have a strong venom and produce a painful sting.

I have recently purchased a new book which I have found very interesting to read as well as a useful ID book for the seashore.  It is The Essential Guide to Beachcombing and the Strandline by Steve Trewhella and Julie Hatcher.

Summaries for 2014. Part 9. Other animal taxa

Between us we recorded 43 'other' animal species on the patch in 2014 - a Leech, 2 Polychaetes, 2 Amphipods, 3 Decapods, 8 Isopods, a Mysid, 2 Barnacles, a Collembolan, a Scorpionfly, a Lacewing, a Caddisfly, 2 Stoneflies, a flea, a Silverfish, 4 Bryozoans, 2 Jellyfish, 2 Anemones, 4 Hydrozoans, a Ctenophoran, 2 Urchins and a Starfish.

Phylum/Class	Order	Taxon	Vernacular	First patch
			(incomplete)	record
Annelida/Clitellata	Arhynchobdellida	Erpobdella testacea	A carnivorous leech	23.06.2014
Annelida/Polychaeta	Capitellida	Arenicola marina	Lugworm	28.12.2014
Annelida/Polychaeta	Orbiniida	Scoloplos armiger		08.03.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Amphipoda	Bathyporeia sarsi		08.09.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Amphipoda	Talitrus saltator	Sand-hopper	02.03.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Decapoda	Macropodia rostrata	Long-legged Spider Crab	08.09.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Decapoda	Hyas araneus	Great Spider Crab	06.12.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Decopoda	Crangon crangon	Common Shrimp	11.08.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Porcellio scaber		27.10.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Asellus aquaticus	Water Louse	03.11.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Idotea linearis		01.06.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Trichoniscus pusillus		01.03.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Philoscia muscorum		30.12.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Oniscus asellus		03.03.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Lakanesphaera rugicauda		15.09.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Isopoda	Armadilidium vulgare		01.03.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Mysida	Praunus flexuosus	Chameleon Shrimp	08.09.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Sessilia	Balanus balanus	Barnacle	21.12.2014
Arthropoda/Crustacea	Sessilia	Elminius modestus	Barnacle	21.12.2014
Arthropoda/Entognatha	Collembola	Orchesella cincta	A springtail	20.11.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Mecoptera - Scorpionflies	Panorpa germanica/communis/cognata	Scorpion Fly	27.04.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Neuroptera - Lacewings	Chrysoperla carnea		27.10.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Plecoptera - Stoneflies	Leuctra fusca		17.10.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Plecoptera - Stoneflies	Nemurella pictetii (ex- inconspicua)		17.10.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Siphonaptera - fleas	Hystrichopsylla talpae talpae		10.11.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Trichoptera - Caddisflies	Limnephilus lunatus		03.11.2014
Arthropoda/Insecta	Zygentoma - Silverfish	Lapisma saccharina	Silverfish	21.03.2014
Bryozoa/Gymnolaemata	Cheilostomata	Bugula plumosa		08.03.2014
Bryozoa/Gymnolaemata	Cheilostomata	Flustra foliacea	Hornwrack	02.03.2014
Bryozoa/Gymnolaemata	Ctenostomatidea	Alcyonidium diaphanum	Sea Chervil	02.03.2014
Bryozoa/Gymnolaemata	Ctenostomatidea	Vesicularia spinosa		13.12.2014
Cnidaria/Anthozoa	Actiniaria	Sagartia elegans	An anemone	15.09.2014
Cnidaria/Anthozoa	Alcyonacea	Alcyonium digitatum	Dead Men's Fingers	06.12.2014
Cnidaria/Hydrozoa	Leptothecata	Nemertesia antennina	Sea Beard	06.12.2014
Cnidaria/Hydrozoa	Leptothecata	Abietinaria abietina	A feather-fan hydroid	28.12.2014
Cnidaria/Hydrozoa	Leptothecata	Amphisbetia operculata		28.12.2014
Cnidaria/Hydrozoa	Leptothecata	Sertularia cupressina	Whiteweed	06.12.2014
Cnidaria/Scyphozoa	Semaeostomeae	Chrysaora hysoscella	Compass Jellyfish	11.08.2014
Cnidaria/Scyphozoa	Semaeostomeae	Aurelia aurita	Common Jellyfish	11.06.2014
Ctenophora/Tentaculata	Cydippida	Pleurobrachia pileus	Sea Gooseberry	???
Echinodermata/Echinoidea	Camarodonta	Psammechinus miliaris	Sea Urchin	10.02.2014
Echinodermata/Echinoidea	Spatangoida	Echinocardium cordatum	Sea potato	29.11.2014

Echinodermata/Asteroidea

Forcipulata

Asterias rubens

Common Starfish

15.09.2014

The Last Post...for 2014 anyway

An enormous Tegenaria gigantea, Holme NWT ('top secret' bunker), 31st December 2014

A Hydrozoan on Holme NWT beach, 31st December 2014 - Ive not seen this before and its very distinctive - looks juts like bottle-brush hydrozoan but well out of range and the micro-stucture doesn't fit. So for now, I', stumped.

Eristalis tenax - a group of 6 overflies hibernating with Peacock Butterflies in one of the 'top secret' bunkers, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Porcellio scaber, the common dune woodlouse, Holme NWT, 31st December 2014

Elminius modestus, the now-abundant shore barnacle, was introduced from  Australia in the 1940s.

Some recent patch additions and other notable species

Coastal Flat-body, Holme NWT, 23rd December 2014 - sieved from its hibernation place in a pile of phragmites cuttings

Great Spider Crab Hyas araneus, one of several washed ashore, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Knotted Wrack Ascophyllum nodulosum, Old Hunstanton 28th December 2014

Flax Brick Weed Chaetomorpha linum, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Broad Leaf Weed Petalonia fascia, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

Oval Piddock, Zirfea crispata, Old Hunstanton, 21st December 2014

The Hydrozoan Amphisbetia operulata, Old Hunstanton, 28th December 2014

The spider Pholcus phalangioides, Hunstanton, 30th December 2014

Animals from the deeps

Last Tuesday's storm brought ashore some interesting bits and pieces.........

Sea Beard, Nemertesia antennina, Hunstanton, 10th February 2014 (although this photo dates from February, there were plenty around on 6th December)

The soft coral, Alcyonium digitatum, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014: another hydrozoan which littered the beach after the storms



Whiteweed, Sertularia cupressina, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014: a delicate hydrozoan washed ashore in masses but which also grows from sand on the low shore and in rock pools

Cuttlefish (well, at least the cuttlebone), Sepia officials, Holme NWT, 6th December 2014