New species of box jellyfish with 24 eyes found. See details

A 24-eyed box jellyfish, which is tiny and cube-shaped, has been discovered in the Mai Po Nature Reserve by the scientists at Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).

Where was the new species found?

The jellyfish samples were collected from a brackish shrimp pond, which is locally called "gei wai," in the Mai Po Nature Reserve during the summers of 2020 to 2022 by a research team led by Professor Qiu Jianwen. The samples the team collected contained a new kind of species.


Professor Qiu said that the new species has been named Tripedalia maipoensis to reflect the locality where the new species was found. Although it has been currently found only in Mai Po, it is believed to be present in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary as well. It is because the gei wais are connected to the estuary through a tidal channel, Jianwen added.

The box jellyfish (scientifically known as Cubozoa), which is cube-shaped, belong to the phylum Cnidaria, as per a release by the university.

The Cubozoa is one of the smaller groups among the cnidarians and also includes some of the highly venomous marine animals, which are found in the tropical waters.

About Tripedalia maipoensis

The newly discovered species, Tripedalia maipoensis, belongs to the Tripedaliidae family. This species has a transparent and colourless body, and has an average length of 1.5 cm. This is the fourth-described species of Tripedaliidae. Tripedalia maipoensis is also the third-described species of the genus Tripedalia in the world.

At each of its four corners, there are three tentacles, which are up to 10 cm long. A flat pedal-shaped structure, known as Pedalia, located at the base of each tentacle helps box jellyfish to produce strong thrusts when they contract their bodies. It helps them to swim faster than other kinds of jellyfish.

FAQs

Q1:What is the name of the new species?
The newly discovered species has been named Tripedalia maipoensis after Mai Po Nature Reserve by the researchers.

Q2:What is special about the new species?
This tiny and cube-shaped box jellyfish has 24 eyes.