Box jellyfish diversity in Indian waters with an occurrence report of a deadly species of box jellyfish Chironex indrasaksajiae

Saravanan, Raju and Ranjith, L and Thirumalaiselvan, S and Sadiq, I Syed and Vinod, K (2024) Box jellyfish diversity in Indian waters with an occurrence report of a deadly species of box jellyfish Chironex indrasaksajiae. Marine Fisheries Information Service; Technical and Extension Series (258). pp. 18-20. ISSN 0254-380X

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Abstract

Box jellyfish, are among the most toxic invertebrates in the world according to many studies (Barnes 1966; Gershwin et al., 2010). Box jellyfish envenomation is caused by nematocysts, which are produced by specialised cells called nematocytes through a secretory pathway. These little toxin-containing capsules are densely packed in the tentacles and play a crucial role in capturing prey and defending against threats (Hessinger and Lenhoff 1988; Gershwin 2006). With about 50 documented species, the class Cubozoa—also called box jellyfish, because of their cube-shaped bells—is a small group of cnidarians that are well-known to the general public for harbouring some of the world’s most dangerous marine organisms ( Straehler-Pohl and Jarms, 2022). The Carybdeida and Chirodropida are the two monophyletic orders that make up Cubozoa (Bentlage et al. 2010). Chirodropids have numerous tentacles per pedalium, while Carybdeids have only one and hence it is easy to distinguish between the two groups. About seven species have been so far reported from Indian waters constituting 14% of global box jellyfish diversity. Up to 25 species are thought to be capable of causing Irukandji syndrome. The order Carybdeida contains all of the “box jellyfish” species that cause Irukandji syndrome. These species are similar to the more well-known species in the genus Carybdea and have unforked pedalia with a single tentacle attached to each corner of the bell. The Yirrganydji people, who were the original aboriginal custodians of the areas between Cairns and Port Douglas, are where the word Irukandji originated. This is also the place where the earliest reports of Irukandji syndrome were recorded (Flecker, 1952)

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