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Most of the box jellyfish known today live in coastal waters.
Malo bella belongs to the box jellyfish and feeds predatory on zooplankton, which it captures with the help of its long tentacles and the stinging cells located there, and kills extremely quickly.
Irukandji jellyfish are of increasing concern as their stings are being reported more and more frequently around the world. Until now, only two species were known from Western Australia, namely Carukia shinju Gershwin, 2005 and Malo maxima Gershwin, 2005, both from Broome.
Two new species, which are thought to cause the Irukandji syndrome, have recently been found and described.
One, Malo bella, comes from the Ningaloo Reef and Dampier Archipelago regions of Western Australia.
It differs from its relatives in its small size at maturity, its statolith shape, irregular warts on the perradial lobes and a unique
combination of other features described here.
This species is not associated with specific stings, but its phylogenetic relationship suggests that it may be highly venomous.
The second species, Keesingia gigas, is from the Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef regions, also in Western Australia.
This enormous species is unique in having key features of three families, including lunate phacelles and broad-winged pedalia (Alatinidae), and deeply notched rhopal niches and feather-like protuberances of the velar alveoli (Carukiidae and Tamoyidae).
With these two new species, the number of known or suspected causes of the Irukandji syndrome increases to at least 16. Research into the biology and ecology of these species should be a high priority in order to manage their potential impact on public safety.
Box jellyfish kill more people each year than sharks, rays and sea snakes combined, with about 100 people dying each year from jellyfish stings.
The venom of the box jellyfish is produced by structures in the post-Golgi vesicles of the nematocysts.
When the tentacles come into contact with prey or potential predators, a venom cocktail is quickly released from the nematocysts through a long, spiky tube, rendering the target organism immobile.
Encounters between humans and this box jellyfish result in very painful and burning injuries for bathers or swimmers, as batteries of stinging cells inject a highly effective cell toxin into the human skin.
So far, no deaths have been reported from this type of box jellyfish, but the affected skin areas should be cooled as quickly as possible and sprinkled with diluted vinegar.
It is strongly recommended to consult a doctor in the case of extensive injuries.
Combined molecular and morphological analyses of the venomous moon jelly Alatina alata suggest that the gastric cirri contain glandular cells that may play a dual role in the secretion of toxins and toxin-like enzymes.
These putative glandular cells could be important for cubozoans both internally (digestion of prey) and externally (poisoning).
Despite the absence of nematocysts in the gastric cirri of mature Alatina alata medusae, this region of the digestive system appears to be the body region in which venom-implicating gene products are most abundantly found, challenging the notion that in Cnidaria venom is synthesized exclusively in or near nematocysts.
Etymology: The species name “bella” refers to the delicate beauty of this species.
Synonyms:
Alatina mordens Gershwin, 2005
Alatina moseri (Mayer, 1906)
Carybdea alata Reynaud, 1830
Carybdea moseri Mayer, 1906
Tamoya punctata Fewkes, 1883
Malo bella belongs to the box jellyfish and feeds predatory on zooplankton, which it captures with the help of its long tentacles and the stinging cells located there, and kills extremely quickly.
Irukandji jellyfish are of increasing concern as their stings are being reported more and more frequently around the world. Until now, only two species were known from Western Australia, namely Carukia shinju Gershwin, 2005 and Malo maxima Gershwin, 2005, both from Broome.
Two new species, which are thought to cause the Irukandji syndrome, have recently been found and described.
One, Malo bella, comes from the Ningaloo Reef and Dampier Archipelago regions of Western Australia.
It differs from its relatives in its small size at maturity, its statolith shape, irregular warts on the perradial lobes and a unique
combination of other features described here.
This species is not associated with specific stings, but its phylogenetic relationship suggests that it may be highly venomous.
The second species, Keesingia gigas, is from the Shark Bay and Ningaloo Reef regions, also in Western Australia.
This enormous species is unique in having key features of three families, including lunate phacelles and broad-winged pedalia (Alatinidae), and deeply notched rhopal niches and feather-like protuberances of the velar alveoli (Carukiidae and Tamoyidae).
With these two new species, the number of known or suspected causes of the Irukandji syndrome increases to at least 16. Research into the biology and ecology of these species should be a high priority in order to manage their potential impact on public safety.
Box jellyfish kill more people each year than sharks, rays and sea snakes combined, with about 100 people dying each year from jellyfish stings.
The venom of the box jellyfish is produced by structures in the post-Golgi vesicles of the nematocysts.
When the tentacles come into contact with prey or potential predators, a venom cocktail is quickly released from the nematocysts through a long, spiky tube, rendering the target organism immobile.
Encounters between humans and this box jellyfish result in very painful and burning injuries for bathers or swimmers, as batteries of stinging cells inject a highly effective cell toxin into the human skin.
So far, no deaths have been reported from this type of box jellyfish, but the affected skin areas should be cooled as quickly as possible and sprinkled with diluted vinegar.
It is strongly recommended to consult a doctor in the case of extensive injuries.
Combined molecular and morphological analyses of the venomous moon jelly Alatina alata suggest that the gastric cirri contain glandular cells that may play a dual role in the secretion of toxins and toxin-like enzymes.
These putative glandular cells could be important for cubozoans both internally (digestion of prey) and externally (poisoning).
Despite the absence of nematocysts in the gastric cirri of mature Alatina alata medusae, this region of the digestive system appears to be the body region in which venom-implicating gene products are most abundantly found, challenging the notion that in Cnidaria venom is synthesized exclusively in or near nematocysts.
Etymology: The species name “bella” refers to the delicate beauty of this species.
Synonyms:
Alatina mordens Gershwin, 2005
Alatina moseri (Mayer, 1906)
Carybdea alata Reynaud, 1830
Carybdea moseri Mayer, 1906
Tamoya punctata Fewkes, 1883
