Seen during water column exploration at the end of a 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana: Exploring Deep Monument Waters Around Johnston Atoll expedition dive, this ctenophore, or comb jelly, belongs to the genus Thalassocalyce. Only one species within this genus is currently described, and the ctenophore in this image is either a mature form of that species, Thalassocalyce inconstans, or a new, deeper-living species. The white bands that occur in pairs are the gonads of the animal and their resemblance to eyes when the hemispherical, medusoid body is viewed from above lend this ctenophore its common Japanese name of the “mask jelly.”

This image was featured as our August 4, 2020 Image of the Day. For the full gallery, visit: oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/multimedia/daily-image/welcome.html.