Marine invertebrates are an incredibly diverse and important group of animals, but unfortunately they are also among the least understood organisms in the sea. For many of them we know very little –sometimes only their name– and there is a general gap in our knowledge about their interactions with other organisms, the environmental cues that govern their dynamics, their relationships to each other, and even how many species are there and how to recognize them. Our lack of knowledge about marine invertebrates is worrisome, because as a group they have enormous economic, medical, and ecological relevance.

My research aims at answering some of these questions through an integrative approach combining morphological, molecular, and ecological data. The main focus of my work is on Cnidaria, an understudied group of invertebrates that includes jellyfish, hydroids, siphonophores, corals, and sea anemones. I am particularly interested in discovering how we can tell the different species apart, and what are the drivers behind the different forms, habitats, and life strategies of these animals. I am also interested in the role of cnidarians –and of other gelatinous zooplankton– as prey and vectors of disease, and I use molecular and morphological tools to discover the identity of their predators, parasites and symbionts. Finally, I want to make sure that marine invertebrates are included in environmental monitoring programmes, and to do that I have been working on building reliable DNA reference libraries for many species living in the North Atlantic Ocean.

BIO325 Ocean Science

BIO232 Systematics and Evolution of Marine Invertebrates

ForBio and NorHydro course: Diversity, Systematics and Biology of Hydrozoa

ForBio and MEDUSA course: Zooplankton Communities – Taxonomy and Methods

Academic article

• Aberle-Malzahn, Nicole; Bakken, Torkild; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell et al. (2025). Murder in the dark: Can parasites bring jellyfish blooms to fall?. (external link)
• Baena, Patricia; Santín, Andreu; Ambroso, Stefano et al. (2025). A deep dive into anthozoan communities of two Antarctic seamounts: a comparative study of Maud Rise and Astrid Ridge. (external link)
• Salvanes, Anne Gro Vea; Gallo, Natalya; Solås, Martine Røysted et al. (2025). Deep Fjords Are Excellent Natural Infrastructure for Climate Impact Studies. (external link)
• Hosia, Aino Laila Johanna; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell; Mańko, Maciej K. et al. (2024). Unexpected diversity and novel lineages in the cosmopolitan genus Nanomia (Cnidaria: Siphonophorae: Physonectae). (external link)
• Isinibilir, M.; Yüksel, E.; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell et al. (2024). No escape from the mucilage impact: Even opportunistic hydroids were affected in the catastrophic mucilage of 2021 in the Sea of Marmara. (external link)
• Eilertsen, Mari Heggernes; Kongsrud, Jon Anders; Tandberg, Anne Helene S. et al. (2024). Diversity, habitat endemicity and trophic ecology of the fauna of Loki’s Castle vent field on the Arctic Mid-Ocean Ridge. (external link)
• Baena, Patricia; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell; Angel, Joan-Josep Soto et al. (2024). A new deep-sea species of golden gorgonian (Octocorallia: Scleralcyonacea: Chrysogorgiidae) from Antarctic waters. (external link)
• Yüksel, Esin; Isinibilir, Melek; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell (2024). Diversity of hydrozoans on artificial substrates in large commercial ports of the Sea of Marmara. (external link)
• Beckmann, Lara; Angel, Joan-Josep Soto; Hosia, Aino Laila Johanna et al. (2023). Odd family reunion: DNA barcoding reveals unexpected relationship between three hydrozoan species. (external link)
• Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell; Selsø, Katrine; Titelman, Josefin et al. (2022). Setting the baseline for the dynamics of siphonophores and hydromedusae in Oslofjorden. (external link)
• Bucklin, Ann; Peijnenburg, Katja T. C. A.; Kosobokova, Ksenia N. et al. (2021). Toward a global reference database of COI barcodes for marine zooplankton.. (external link)
• Yilmaz, Izzet Noyan; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Edatopçu, Nur et al. (2020). Benthic hydrozoan assemblages as potential indicators of environmental health in a mediterranean marine protected area. (external link)
• Yilmaz, Izzet Noyan; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Topçu, Nur Eda et al. (2020). Βenthic hydrozoan assemblages as potential indicators of environmental health in a Μediterranean Μarine protected area. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Angel, Joan Josep Soto (2019). Diversidad de Medusozoa en México: Estado del conocimiento y fuentes de información disponibles. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Tandberg, Anne Helene S.; Hosia, Aino (2018). The illusion of rarity in an epibenthic jellyfish: facts and artefacts in the distribution of Tesserogastria musculosa (Hydrozoa, Ptychogastriidae). (external link)
• Topçu, Nur Eda; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Yilmaz, Izzet Noyan et al. (2018). Benthic hydrozoans as potential indicators of water masses and anthropogenic impact in the Sea of Marmara. (external link)
• Miglietta, Maria Pia; Piraino, Stefano; Pruski, Sarah et al. (2018). An integrative identification guide to the Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Bocas del Toro, Panama. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Bracale, Roberta; Carrion, Steven A et al. (2018). Successional dynamics of marine fouling hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) at a finfish aquaculture facility in the Mediterranean Sea. (external link)
• Angel, Joan J Soto; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Palero, Ferran (2017). Polyps fishing on a crab: novel association between Hydrichthella epigorgia (Hydrozoa, Ptilocodiidae) and Achaeus (Crustacea, Inachidae).. (external link)

Poster

• Majaneva, Sanna Kristiina; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell; Angel, Joan-Josep Soto et al. (2023). The Missing Piece – the Gain of Including Gelatinous Zooplankton in Arctic Plankton Surveys. (external link)

Report

• Bakken, Torkild; Kongshavn, Katrine; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell et al. (2020). Feltarbeid i Saltstraumen marine verneområde. Utfordringer og metodikk for observasjon og skånsom innsamling av marin fauna i en av verdens sterkeste tidevannsstrømmer. (external link)

Academic lecture

• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell (2019). NorHydro: mapping the diversity of marine hydroids in Norway. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Angel, Joan Josep Soto; Hosia, Aino Laila Johanna (2019). Integrative assessment of diversity and distribution of polyps and their medusae in Norway. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Hosia, Aino Laila Johanna (2019). DNA barcoding of benthic hydrozoans in Norwegian waters. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Manko, Maciej; Angel, Joan Josep Soto (2019). Communication of hydrozoan science in the time of social media: achievements and opportunities for the Hydrozoan Society. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell (2018). Biodiversity of Medusozoa in Mexico. (external link)
• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell (2018). HYPNO: Exploring the diversity of Norwegian siphonophores and hydromedusae. (external link)
• Hosia, Aino; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell (2017). HYPNO - Hydrozoan Pelagic Diversity in Norway. (external link)

Interview

• Bakken, Torkild; Hernandez, Luis Felipe Martell; Kongsrud, Jon Anders et al. (2019). Godt samarbeid om marine artar – over og under vatn. (external link)

Popular scientific article

• Tandberg, Anne Helene S.; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell (2018). En uimodstaaelig Lyst til Naturens Studium. (external link)
• Kongshavn, Katrine; Malaquias, Manuel Antonio E.; Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell et al. (2018). Innsamling av marine virvelløse dyr. (external link)

Lecture

• Hernández, Luis Felipe Martell; Hosia, Aino (2017). Challenges and opportunities in Norwegian hydrozoan taxonomy: lessons from project HYPNO. (external link)

See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.

Martell L, R Bracale, SA Carrion, JE Purcell, M Lezzi, C Gravili, S Piraino, F Boero (2018) Successional dynamics of marine fouling hydroids (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa) at a finfish aquaculture facility in the Mediterranean Sea. PLoS ONE. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0195352.

Soto-Àngel JJ, L Martell, F Palero (2017) Polyps fishing on a crab: novel association between Hydrichthella epigorgia (Hydrozoa, Ptilocodiidae) and Achaeus (Crustacea, Inachidae). Marine Biodiversity DOI: 10.1007/s12526-017-0746-8.

Topçu NE, L Martell, M İşinibilir (2017) A multispecific accumulation of gelatinous organisms in the central Aegean Sea as a case of biological evidence for unnoticed offshore events. Cahiers de Biologie Marine 58(3):269–277.

Martell L, E Ciavolino, C Gravili, S Piraino, F Boero (2017) Population dynamics of the non-indigenous hydrozoan Clytia hummelincki (Hydrozoa: Campanulariidae) in two contrasting Mediterranean habitats. Marine Biology Research 13(5): 551–559.

Martell L, S Piraino, C Gravili, F Boero (2016) The life cycle of Turritopsis dohrnii (Cnidaria: Hydrozoa): development of the medusa of the immortal jellyfish. Italian Journal of Zoology 83(3):390–399.

Gravili C, D De Vito, CG Di Camillo, L Martell, S Piraino, F Boero (2015) The non-Siphonophoran Hydrozoa (Cnidaria) of Salento, Italy with notes on their life-cycles: an illustrated guide. Zootaxa 3908 (1): 001–187.

İşinibilir M, L Martell, NE Topçu, İN Yılmaz, S Piraino (2015) First inventory of the shallow-water benthic hydrozoan assemblages of the island of Gökçeada (northern Aegean Sea). Italian Journal of Zoology 82(2): 281–290.

Martell L, M Sánchez-Ramírez, A Ocaña-Luna (2014) Distribution of planktonic cnidarian assemblages in the southern Gulf of Mexico, during autumn. Revista Chilena de Historia Natural 87(1): 18–28.

Piraino S, G Aglieri, L Martell, C Mazzoldi, V Melli, G Milisenda, S Scorrano, F Boero (2014) Pelagia benovici sp. nov. (Cnidaria, Scyphozoa): a new jellyfish in the Mediterranean Sea. Zootaxa 3794(3): 455–468.

Martell L, A Ocaña-Luna, M Sánchez-Ramírez (2011) Seasonal occurrence of Opechona pyriforme metacercariae (Digenea: Lepocreadiidae) in Eirene tenuis medusae (Hydrozoa: Leptothecata) from a hypersaline lagoon in western Gulf of Mexico. Journal of Parasitology 97: 68–71.

Ongoing and previous Norwegian taxonomy initiative projects:

Metazoan parasites of non-crustacean zooplankton (ParaZoo) - PI

Marine benthic hydroids (NorHydro) - PI

Hydrozoan pelagic diversity in Norway (HYPNO)