Venomous Box Jellyfish With 24 Eyes Discovered in Hong Kong

In a muddy pond in Hong Kong, scientists have found a mysterious creature with 24 eyes. They discovered it at the Mai Po Reserve while examining water conditions. This creature is a new species of jellyfish.

Belonging to the box jellyfish family, this species has a transparent body that is less than an inch long. It also has three long tentacles. The jellyfish possesses 24 eyes, evenly split into four groups of six. These eyes are housed within sensory depressions called rhopalia on each side of its bell.

This marks the first identification of a new box jellyfish species in Chinese waters. It also represents the fourth species in the Tripedaliidae family, which includes some of the most venomous marine creatures in tropical seas, as reported by Daily Mail.

Box jellyfish tentacles act like poisonous darts

Box jellyfish get their name from their box-shaped bodies. Their tentacles act like poisonous darts, releasing a toxin that can cause paralysis, heart failure, and even death within minutes of a sting. The Australian box jellyfish holds the title of 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,” states a study published in the journal Zoological Studies.

Jellyfish with 24 Eyes Discovered in Hong Kong Shocks Scientists pic.twitter.com/J7JPWIPhaa

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Over three years, a team of scientists, led by Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU), closely studied a marine animal that began appearing in greater numbers in the brackish waters of shrimp ponds at Mai Po Nature Reserve. Moreover, this reserve boasts wetlands with shallow pools connected to the Sham Chun River, Shan Pui River, and Tin Shui Wai Nullah.

The scientists captured the jellyfish from the pond, conducting DNA and tissue analyses. Their findings confirmed it to be a new species closely linked to jellyfish species found in Jamaica, Florida, Singapore, Australia, and India, as reported by Daily Mail.

Distinctions between male and female box jellyfish

Professor Qiu Jianwen, the lead researcher, noted that box jellyfish are relatively understudied in Chinese marine waters. He views this discovery as indicative of the abundant marine biodiversity around Hong Kong.

In 2022, both male and female jellyfish were collected from the pond. The females have slender gonadal “wings” extending from their stomach to the velarium, a thin muscular sheet that forms the bell’s opening. These wings appear yellowish in color.

However, the male jellyfish have broad gonadal “wings” with rounded tops, extending from the stomach to the velarium, and they are whitish in color. Box jellyfish typically have 24 eyes, a standard feature. Two of these groups are equipped with lenses capable of forming images, while the other four groups can only detect light.