The official scientific name for the purple-striped jellyfish is Chrysaora colorata. This species was previously known as Pelagia colorata, which is Greek for "of the sea" and "color." Marine biologists categorized the purple-striped jelly under the Chrysaora genus. Chrysaora jellyfishes live in tropical and temperate bodies of water and theses jellyfishes usually skip the polyp phase of their life cycle. The polyp phase is when the sperm and eggs of adult jellyfishes form polyps on the ocean floor; the polyps asexually produce medusas, which grown into adult jellyfish. Purple jellyfishes also host young cancer crabs, who feed on parasitic amphipods that may cause damage to the jellyfishes.
Purple-striped jellyfishes belong to the Pelagiidae family. Pelagiidae jellyfishes have pouches for the female's eggs extending from the jellyfishes central stomach; however, the pouches are not attached to Pelagiidae jellyfishes as opposed to other jellyfish species. Jellyfishes in the Pelagiidae family do not have ring canals; these canals are used by some jellyfishes for digesting food.
The defining characteristic for jellyfish in the Semaeostomeae order are the umbrella-shaped dome on the jellyfishes top end. This order of jellyfish has five families: Pelagiidae -- the purple-striped jellyfishes family -- Ulmaridae, Cyaneidae, Depastridae and Halicyathidae. Semaeostomeae jellyfishes also have four pointed arms for swimming and grabbing prey.
Purple-striped jellyfishes are a part of the Scyphozoa class of jellyfishes. The origin of the Scyphozoa is the Greek word skyphos, which was a type of drinking cup. This name refers to the dome-shaped head of Scyphozoa jellyfishes. Many Scyphozoa jellyfishes have two life cycles: the polyp phase and medusa phase; purple-stripe jellyfishes only go through the medusa phase. Aside from the Semaeostomeae order, Scyphozoa also features the Coronatae and Rhizostomeae orders under their class. According to the University of California, Berkeley, Scyphozoa jellyfishes are among the most familiar to beachgoers.
All jellyfishes, including the purple-striped jellyfish, belong to the Medusozoa subphylum. The Medusozoa subphylum is a under the Cnidaria phylum, which consist of marine-dwelling animals such as jellyfishes, box jellies, corals and Portuguese Man-O-War. Approximately 200 Scyphozoa class jellyfishes belong to the Medusozoa subphylum. Three more jellyfish classes are under the Medusozoa subphylum: Cubozoa, Staurozoa and Hydrozoa.