DDHK. ORG – Hong Kong scientists recently discovered a previously unknown species of jellyfish. This transparent, jelly-like creature was found in the Mai Po Nature Reserve.
Reporting from Seconds, researchers at Hong Kong found something unique while observing the Mai Po Nature Reserve. They found a very small cube-shaped box jellyfish in a pool of brackish shrimp.
Written on the Live Science page, these creatures were then given the scientific name Tripedalia maipoensis, which was named after the place where they were found. This tiny jellyfish is also the first box type to be found in the waters China.
This research on marine biota was conducted for the first time by collecting samples from tidal shrimp ponds, namely gei wa during the summer season from 2020 to 2022.
Qiu Jinwen, professor in the Department of Biology at Hong Kong Baptist University and the leader of this research revealed that this species is quite abundant because up to 400 of these water creatures are found in the pond area.
Through its discovery in brackish water tidal shrimp ponds, it is thought that this species can also be found in waters close to the mouth of the Pearl River. However, until now no research has been conducted to confirm this.
This newly discovered species is a member of the box type group. This is because this species has tentacles that end in flat structures resembling paddles as is characteristic of Tripedalia.
The size of Tripedalia maipoensis is very small, only about 1,5 cm. It has a clear body or sac so that its body is completely colorless and is accompanied by 12 tentacles with a small structure so that it can move faster in water compared to other jellyfish.
This species was also found to have 24 eyes arranged in six groups around its cubic sac. This resembles another box jellyfish, namely the Australian box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri) which is the most poisonous marine animal according to the National Ocean Service.
This box jellyfish certainly has its own characteristics that make it different from the common jellyfish, one of its characteristics is the 24 eyes located on 6 sides of its body. In addition, the tentacles are also different from the common jellyfish.
"This box jellyfish connects the base of its tentacles and sac with a flat bottom that looks like the oars of a boat, thus distinguishing it from other common jellyfish," said Qiu.
Just like other jellyfish, the newly discovered species is also thought to have a deadly poison for Artemia shrimp, as seen in the research laboratory. However, Qiu added that the effect of the animal's sting on humans was not yet known.
The box jellyfish, also known as the sea wasp, will move by letting water enter a channel along the muscular membrane beneath its body which it will then expel.
Uniquely, the researchers found that T. maipoensis has branching muscle membrane channels that cause these channels to separate into branches. This is one of the differences between this species and other box jellyfish.
The scientists also found that each group of six eyes found on the jellyfish's body is divided into a pair of eyes with lenses that allow the formation of images and four eyes that can only perceive light.
Through samples taken from shrimp ponds, it is known that this species will eat small crustaceans known as copepods. Qiu said he was very happy with this discovery.
"Discovering the new species at Mai Po, where extensive research has been carried out, highlights the potential for finding more marine life in Hong Kong and even China's coastal waters," he said. [DDHK News]
