Cassiopea andromeda

Cassiopea andromeda (Forskål, 1775) Distribution See Fig. 3, Mendoza-Becerril et al. (2025). Notes Cassiopea andromeda was originally described from the Suez Canal, Red Sea (Mayer 1910); therefore, this lineage is not naturally distributed in the Caribbean Sea as C. xamachana and C. frondosa are. In the Mexican Caribbean, C. andromeda was first reported by Gamero-Mora (2014), based on four specimens collected at a single locality in Xcalak, Quintana Roo. Even though these individuals were initially misidentified as C. frondosa (Pallas, 1774) (likely due to similarities in the morphology of the oral appendages), it is possible to confirm, based on the phylogenetic hypothesis provided by the author, that they belong to C. andromeda. Since that report, no additional confirmed records of C. andromeda have been documented from the region. A recent molecular study shows that C. andromeda co-occurs with C. xamachana at three sites in the Florida Keys, USA, with phenotypical overlap between both species (Muffett and Miglietta 2023), suggesting that its presence in Greater Caribbean may be underestimated. At present, there is no evidence indicating whether C. andromeda is established in the Mexican Caribbean or represents a rare occurrence. Given the limited available data and the taxonomic complexity of the genus, continued monitoring and molecular surveys are recommended. For complementary information of morphological similarity and identification challenges, see taxonomic remarks under C. xamachana.