Description

Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) scientists made an amazing finding at the Mai Po Nature Reserve in northern Hong Kong. They just discovered a new species of box jellyfish, the first of its kind in Chinese waters. Between 2020 and summer 2022, the study team, directed by Professor Qiu Jianwen of HKBU's Department of Biology, collected jellyfish samples from a brackish shrimp pond in Mai Po Nature Reserve. In March, they published their findings in the worldwide academic journal Zoological Studies.

Tripedalia Maipoensis Is A New Species

The team's discovery of a new species of box jellyfish has been dubbed Tripedalia maipoensis, or Mai Po Tripedalia. The name refers to the location where the species was discovered for the first time. It is the fourth species of Tripedaliidae identified worldwide, belonging to the family Tripedaliidae of the class Cubozoa.

Box Jellyfish Has A One-Of-A-Kind Feature

With only 49 species reported worldwide, box jellyfish constitute a tiny group. Tripedalia maipoensis, like most other box jellyfish species, has a translucent, colorless body with three tentacles at each of its four corners. Because of the flat pedal-shaped feature at the base of each tentacle that resembles a boat paddle, box jellyfish can swim faster than other jellyfish. When they contract their bodies, they can produce powerful thrusts.

The Importance Of The Discovery

Tripedalia maipoensis' discovery emphasizes the great diversity of marine life in Hong Kong and China. The new species is thought to be located in the surrounding waters of the Pearl River Estuary, as the brackish shrimp ponds are linked to the estuary by a tidal channel. The research sheds light on the little-known box jellyfish found in Chinese maritime regions.

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