Newly discovered jellyfish is a 24-eyed weirdo related to the world’s most venomous marine creature

A juvenile box jellyfish of the newfound species has a transparent and colorless body, as well as 12 tentacles ending in small, paddle-like structures. — Like different field jellyfish, the newfound species has 24 eyes organized in clusters of six round its cubic physique. (Picture credit score: Hong Kong Baptist College (screenshot from hongkongbaptistu on YouTube))

Scientists in Hong Kong have found tiny, cube-shaped field jellyfish in a brackish shrimp pond which are utterly unknown to science.

The diminutive jellies have a totally clear and colorless physique, or bell, in addition to 12 tentacles ending in small, paddle-like constructions that allow the critters to hurry by water quicker than most different jellyfish species.

Like different field jellies — a bunch of Cnidarians that features the Australian field jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri), the world’s most venomous marine animal, in accordance with the Nationwide Ocean Service (opens in new tab) — the newly described jellies have 24 eyes organized in clusters of six round its cubic bell.

“This field jellyfish connects the bottom of its tentacles and its bell with a flat base that appears like a ship paddle, making it distinct from different frequent jellyfish,” Qiu Jianwen (opens in new tab), a professor within the Division of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist College who led the analysis, stated in a video (opens in new tab). “One other function of the field jellyfish is that it has six eyes positioned on both sides of its physique.”

Researchers named the newfound species Tripedalia maipoensis after Mai Po Nature Reserve (opens in new tab) in Hong Kong, the place they discovered it. They describe its options and relationship to different field jellies in a examine revealed March 20 within the journal Zoological Research (opens in new tab).

Associated: Alien-like big phantom jellyfish noticed in frigid waters off Antarctica

T. maipoensis is the first-ever field jelly to be present in Chinese language waters. It’s unclear whether or not the half-inch-long (1.5 centimeters) animal can sting people, however it could be venomous sufficient to stun tiny shrimp known as Artemia. “It appeared to paralyze Artemia supplied within the lab,” Qiu instructed Reside Science in an electronic mail. “However we didn’t contact the animal to really feel the sting.”

The researchers first seen the bizarre creatures in samples collected from an intertidal shrimp pond, referred to as a “gei wai” regionally, through the summers of 2020 to 2022. The jellyfish had been “fairly considerable,” Qiu instructed Reside Science, numbering “as much as 400 people in an space of the pond.” A tidal channel from the brackish pool signifies that the species may be current within the adjoining waters of the Pearl River estuary, however no work has been accomplished but to substantiate this, the researchers wrote within the examine.

Field jellyfish, that are also called sea wasps, transfer by permitting water to enter canals that run alongside a muscular membrane on the underside of their our bodies after which expelling it. The researchers discovered that, in contrast to carefully associated species, T. maipoensis has forked canals separating into a number of branches. The newly found species is the third identified member of a bunch of field jellies characterised by tentacles ending in flat, paddle-like constructions, known as Tripedalia.

The scientists additionally famous that every cluster of six eyes on the jellies’ cubic bell features a pair of eyes with lenses that allow image-forming, in addition to 4 eyes that may solely sense gentle.

The species in all probability feeds on small crustaceans known as copepods, which had been considerable within the samples taken from the shrimp pond, Qiu instructed Reside Science.

“We’re thrilled with this discovery,” Qiu stated within the video. “Discovering a brand new species in Mai Po, the place intensive analysis has been carried out, highlights the potential for extra marine life discovery within the Hong Kong and even the Chinese language coastal waters.”

Cookie	Duration	Description
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional	11 months	The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance	11 months	This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy	11 months	The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.