Description:
Moon jellies may reach 10 inches in diameter.  The bell is typically a milky, transparent blue or yellowish color, scalloped along the edge, with a fringe of short tentacles.  Gonads are arranged in rings in the center of the bell.  Short, transparent, oral arms surround the central mouth located under the bell.  This animal has little to no sting.

Habitat:
Though moon jellies contract their bells to propel themselves through the water, they are weak swimmers unable to overcome the effects of winds and water currents, and are thus considered to be planktonic.  They are typically found along coastlines, but enter bay mouths and estuaries on flood tides, and are driven onshore by winds.

Range:
Aurelia aurita is perhaps the most common jellyfish in the Eastern United States.  It ranges from Maine through Florida, the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean.  It may be common seasonally during the spring and summer months in the Indian River Lagoon.