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Aurelia is a genus of jellyfish belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. Commonly known as moon jellyfish, they are one of the most recognizable and widely distributed jellyfish species. Aurelia jellyfish are characterized by their translucent, saucer-shaped bell, typically up to 40 cm in diameter, with four horseshoe-shaped gonads that are visible through the bell. They lack any stinging tentacles around the margin of the bell, instead possessing short, fine oral arms that hang below.

These jellyfish are found in coastal waters of temperate and tropical oceans worldwide. They are pelagic, meaning they drift with ocean currents, though they can exhibit some limited swimming ability. Their diet consists mainly of plankton, which they capture using mucus and cilia on their oral arms. Aurelia jellyfish have a complex life cycle involving both a sessile polyp stage and a free-swimming medusa stage. The medusa is the form most commonly seen by humans. They are often abundant in bays and estuaries. Despite their ubiquitous presence, they pose little threat to humans due to their weak sting.