COTYLORHIZA TUBERCOLATA
Cotylorhiza tuberculata is a species of jellyfish, also known as the Mediterranean jelly or fried egg jellyfish. It is commonly found in the Mediterranean Sea, Aegean Sea and Adriatic Sea. It can reach 35 cm in diameter. It seems that this jellyfish's sting has very little or no effect on humans.
It is usually less than 17 cm wide. The smooth, elevated dome is surrounded by a gutter-like ring. The marginal lappets are elongated and subrectangular. Each mouth-arm bifurcates near its base and branches several times. In addition to some larger appendages there are many short, club-shaped ones that bear disk-like ends.
It is frequently encountered in Maltese waters, as indicated by the existence of a Maltese name for such a species "qassata" which is a local pastry delicacy. The sting of such a jellyfish is innocuous and it normally appears in large swarms towards the end of summer, a period which coincides with the start of the dolphin fish (lampuki) fisheries and thus Maltese fishermen have dubbed such a species as ‘tal-lampuki.” Interestingly enough, juveniles of mackerel are frequently observed sheltering amongst the purple-tipped tentacles of the jellyfish.