[1] The species was first described in the Journal of the Marine Biological Association in 2004 by Kevin Raskoff and George Matsumoto of the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute.

The exumbrella is white, and this and the four oral arms are covered with large nematocyst-laden projections filled with stinging cells, enabling the jelly to capture food items of a variety of sizes; it seems to prefer large prey, up to half its size, which is unusual in jellies that capture prey with their bells rather than with tentacles.

The bumpy appearance that the stinging cells give to the jelly led to its common name.

The species name comes from the remotely operated vehicle (ROV) Ventana, a deep-diving robot submarine that first recorded the jelly on video in 1990.

Many species of jellyfishes live at this level, and it is likely that S. ventana feeds primarily on other jellies.