An updated checklist of Scyphozoa (Cnidaria, Medusozoa) from the Mexican Caribbean: integrating literature, citizen science and field collections

This study presents an updated checklist of Scyphozoa from the Mexican Caribbean, incorporating records from published literature, citizen-science initiatives and collected specimens. This study documents evidence for the presence of 17 scyphozoan taxa, including nine new records for the region. Notably, the checklist includes records of the non-native scyphozoan species Cassiopea andromeda and Mastigias sp., reflecting the advantage of combining multiple sources of information. Most studies on scyphozoan ecology, distribution, abundance and diversity in the Mexican Caribbean have focused on shallow costal environments (< 30 m), leaving deep-sea and oceanic zones understudied. This uneven sampling effort, together with the difficulties in identifying certain species, hinders our complete understanding of jellyfish biodiversity in the region. Future studies integrating morphological and molecular approaches are essential to resolve taxonomic uncertainties and fully characterise scyphozoan biodiversity in this region.