Latin Name: Pandea Rubra
Geographic Location: Antarctic Ocean
Depth: 450-900 meter
Size: 17 cm and up to 30 trailing tentacles that can be up to 6 times the length of its body

The Red Paper Lantern medusa, known as Pandea rubra, is an unusual species of deep-sea jellyfish. It has a transparent, bell-shaped hood about 10 cm in diameter. Within the transparent hood is a red accordion-like mantle that can contract or expand like a Japanese red paper lantern, hence the name. The gelatinous creature is commonly found at depths of between 450 to 900 m in warm and temperate waters with some reports from the Antarctic Ocean. Although little is known about their ecology, it appears they are an extremely important and interactive species. A variety of other organisms exploits the red paper lantern and takes up safe, temporary residence. Larvae of shrimp and sea spiders are known travel on the jellyfish whilst large predators are known to feed extensively on them. Furthermore, juvenile red paper lanterns roost in the shells of open ocean snails called pteropods.