Hong Kong pond yields a new 24-eyed box jellyfish

Researchers in Hong Kong’s Mai Po Nature Reserve describe Tripedalia maipoensis, a tiny box jellyfish about 0.6 inches long, as a new species—the fourth described in the Tripedaliidae family. DNA analysis shows it is distinct from Tripedalia cystophora (16S rRNA ~17.4% difference). The jellyfish has 24 eyes arranged in four rhopalia, with two lens eyes likely forming images to aid navigation under mangroves. Found during nocturnal sampling of shrimp ponds, this is the first box jellyfish formally reported from Chinese coastal waters and underscores hidden biodiversity in human-modified habitats. The study was published in Zoological Studies.