[2] The mesogloea, the jelly-like tissue, contains symbiotic zooxanthellae, single-celled protists, which are photosynthetic and give the jellyfish its variable color, often bluish-grey or bluish-green.

[2] Cassiopea xamachana is found in warm parts of the western Atlantic Ocean, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.

[2] Cassiopea xamachana obtains part of its nutritional needs from the photosymbiotic zooxanthellae it harbors in its tissues; these use energy from the sunlight to produce carbohydrates by photosynthesis.

Gametes are released by the medusae into the water and the fertilized eggs hatch into planula larvae, which attach to the sea bed or some other suitable substrate.

[5] Having settled, the larvae undergo metamorphosis into the hydroid stage of the lifecycle, forming tiny sessile polyps called scyphistomae.

The specific epithet, xamachana, was chosen by Bigelow to honor the indigenous name of the island of Jamaica, the type location of the species.