It lives mainly in the open sea, but in spring and autumn it tends to approach the coast and is evenly distributed throughout the Mediterranean. It is a small species since its diameter varies between 3 and 10 cm, but the 8 tentacles can easily reach 2 meters in length. These have stinging vesicles useful for the jellyfish to capture and stun the small fish it feeds on.
A maximum life of 6 months is estimated for this species.