Stomolophus meleagris L. Agassiz, 1860

Synonyms in the area: Stomolophus fritillaria Haeckel, 1880 .

Remarks: North and South American specimens were considered as different species by some authors (e.g., Mayer 1910; Kramp 1961) in the past. Here we consider all records as a single species, until the completion of further detailed morphological/molecular studies on the taxa. Edible species, currently under commercial exploitation in the Gulf of Mexico (Rudloe 1996).

Distribution in South America: medusa—Pacific Ocean, Ecuador (Guayaquil) to Peru, from 2°S to 11°S (Ranson 1945; Kramp 1968); Atlantic Ocean, Colombia to Argentina, from 10°N to 38°S (Haeckel 1880; Ranson 1945; Vannucci 1957a; Kramp 1961; Mianzan 1989a; Morandini et al. 2005a; Soares et al. 2009; Silveira & Morandini 2011).

Habitat: neritic species commonly found in estuaries and in coastal waters (Mayer 1910).