Nanomia bijuga

Scientific Name: Nanomia bijuga

Size Range: Up to 30cm in total length

Nanomia bijuga belongs to the order Physonecta within the subclass Siphonophorae within the class Hydrozoa.

It is a predator that represents a colony of many genetically identical individuals called zooids that make up the whole.  It has a pigmented gas filled float called a pneumatophore at its tip.

Please come back – more information will be posted soon on this fascinating siphonophore!

Photos by D. Young

The photo on the right shows the upright position that Nanomia bijuga is most often seen when at rest in quiet bays, but it can move very fast and then can be seen in the horizontal position.  This individual was photographed in Cadboro Bay, Victoria British Columbia.