How do I identify a jellyfish

[Madelinew]

Off the Isle of Skye last week, I spotted a jellyfish I'd never seen before. It was about an inch in length, shaped a little bit like a long shuttlecock according to my son and in it's centre was a small ball of red. Any ideas?

[uwphotographer]

Sounds very much like Neoturris pileata, sorry no common names. We see them quite frequently during early summer while diving off the W coast of Scotland, usually in the mid-water close to the surface. Having said that at least one reference suggests that they are rarely recorded. Apparently it has also been found in the Philippines. For a final twist it may actually be the same as a species called Leuckartiara nobilis, the experts I believe have yet to sort it out. Hope that this answers your question to some extent.

Gordon

[Madelinew]

Having googled it on images that looks about right. There were loads of them alongside gooseberry jellyfish (I think that's what they were called) and moon jellyfish, the latter of which I have seen hundreds of times but never get bored with them as they are so beautiful.