The Daily Observer London Desk: Reporter- John Furner
A mysterious creature with 24 eyes has been discovered in a muddy pond in Hong Kong.
Scientists uncovered it while observing the body of water at Mai Po Reserve, determining it was a completely new species of jellyfish.
The new species is part of the box jellyfish family. It has a transparent body measuring less than one inch, and three long tentacles.
The jellyfish has two dozen eyes that are equally divided into four groups of six, located inside a sensory depression called a rhopalium on each side of the bell.
This is the first discovery of new box jellyfish species in Chinese waters and the fourth species in the Tripedaliidae family, which includes some of the most venomous marine animals in tropical waters.
It may look small, but this new species has poisonous darts hiding in its tentacles. Scientists discovered this new box jellyfish in a pond in Hong Kong
Box jellyfish, named for their body shape, have tentacles like poisonous darts that release a toxin that can cause paralysis, cardiac arrest, and even death, all within a few minutes of being stung.
The Australian box jellyfish is considered the most venomous marine animal in the world.
‘The class Cubozoa, commonly known as box jellyfish due to the cube-shaped bells, consists of a small group of cnidarians with approximately 50 described species and is well-known to the public for containing some of the most venomous marine animals in the world,’ reads the study published in the in academic journal Zoological Studies.
A team of scientists led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) observed the marine animal for three years, finding that an increasing number appeared in the brackish water of shrimp ponds at Mai Po Nature Reserve.
The reserve features wetlands with shallow pools that run into the Sham Chun River, Shan Pui River and Tin Shui Wai Nullah
The team collected the jellyfish from the pond and analyzed its DNA and tissue, allowing them to determine it was a new species.
It is closely related to Jamaica, Florida, Singapore, Australia and India species.
Its two dozen eyes are equally divided into four groups of six, which are located inside a sensory depression called a rhopalium on each side of the bell
The creature has three tentacles measuring up to 10 centimeters long at its corners
Part of the box jellyfish family, the invertebrate has a transparent body measuring less than one inch and three long tentacles – and it is the first found in the region
Lead researcher Professor Qiu Jianwen said box jellyfish are ‘poorly known’ in Chinese marine waters, and believes the discovery signifies a ‘rich diversity’ of marine life around Hong Kong.
Both males and females were gathered from the pond in 2022.
Female gonad ‘wings’ are slender, extending from the stomach to the velarium, a thin muscular sheet that forms the opening of the bell.
And the ‘wings’ are a yellowish color.
Male gonad ‘wings’ are broad with rounded tops extending from the stomach to the velarium and are whiteish.
The 24 eyes are standard for box jellyfish, and two of the groups are said to have had lenses that enable image-forming, while the other four can only sense light.
The creature has three tentacles measuring up to 10 centimeters long at its corners.
A flat pedal-shaped structure at the base of each tentacle looks like a boat paddle, allowing box jellyfish to produce strong thrusts when they contract their bodies.
And this feature helps it swim faster than other kinds of jellyfish.
Box jellyfish can reach four knots while swimming, while other types float with the current.
The new species is the only known of its type in the region, leading scientists to name it Tripedalia maipoensis in honor of the reserve where it was found.
‘It is currently known only in Mai Po,’ said Jianwen.
‘We believe this species is also distributed in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary as they are connected to the estuary through a tidal channel.’
