Sentosa Waters Reveal a New Chironex Box Jellyfish and a Thai Range Expansion
Researchers from Tohoku University and the National University of Singapore identified a new box jellyfish, Chironex blakangmati, off Sentosa Island, Singapore, distinguishing it from related species by distinct perradial lappet morphology and confirming it with genetic analysis, expanding the Chironex genus to four species. In the same expedition, samples of C. indrasaksajiae—previously associated with Thai waters—were found in Singapore for the first time, indicating a surprising range expansion. The study highlights Southeast Asia’s jellyfish biodiversity and public-safety implications and was published in the Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.