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Box Jellyfish in Dana Point Harbor

Description and Comments

Found box jelly in dana point harbor while fishing. Seen chasing a school of tiny fish, very shallow. Nobody here has seen box jellyfish before, even the other fisherman. Lifeguard told me that box jellyfish only live in tropical waters so it can't be a box.

Author

slaphappysloth

Type of organism

Box Jelly

Quantity

1

Latitude

33.46

Longitude

-117.69

Comments

jellywatch Thu, 07/10/2014 - 14:37

Good find! That is definitely a box jelly. The genus Carybdea (ascribed to various species) are fairly well known from up in Santa Barbara. It is not deadly, but also not to be trifled with. Strong stingers!

BernietheTortoise Sat, 07/12/2014 - 17:10

This could be a Carybdea marsupialis, a species native to your area, and a form of box jellyfish. However, this actually appears to be a specimen of Tamoya, a species of box jellyfish not described in the area. It is no need to worry though. This is not a species that kills, but don't try mess with it. If you wish, I would advise you to alert the local lifeguards of the presence of box jellyfish, and that they are in fact native to your area.

BernietheTortoise Sun, 07/13/2014 - 13:30

Well, you see there are ways to at least theorize the Genus. This specimen is rather large and is taller than wide by measuring the bell. In addition to this, the wide pedalia thick pinkish tentacles with nematocyst rings are also common to the specimens found in Genus Tamoya. Carybdea marsupialis, which is said to be the only native Cubozoan, in comparison is much smaller, and is more of a box shape. The pedalia are generally thin and either are pointed straight down or to a 45 degree angle outward from the bell. Also, their thin white tentacles are nothing like seen in the image here. Here below I have two images comparing Tamoya and Carybdea marsupialis, respectively.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HbLXgb92AnU/UjoJ3FY9udI/AAAAAAAABkU/bZ9awGbQ8…

http://www.cubomed.eu/media/cms_page_media/18/CARYBDEA_2_400X250_3.jpg

slaphappysloth Sat, 07/12/2014 - 22:46

Lifeguard notification fail. I informed a lifeguard and his response was there are no box jellyfish here. They live in tropical water only. That's a juvenile black jelly. Sure thing bub.

On a side note the day before we found horned shark eggs and when we asked the lifeguards about them they said "Sharks don't lay eggs."

BernietheTortoise Sun, 07/13/2014 - 08:44

Ah, that's okay. Most people (obviously even lifeguards) don't know that box jellyfish are native there. Feel free to report any other jellyfish sightings here! Thanks again for the report and good picture!