Stinging Jellyfish

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    Stinging Jellyfishin tropical Australia

    With few exce ptions, jellyfish that cause debi litating or fatal stings in humans are cubozoan orbox jellyf ish w hich were named because of th eir box-shaped bodies. Box jellyf ish can be found inmost t rop icalwa te rs arou nd the wor ld. In Austra lia, they are fo und in t ropical waterspred ominan t ly in the wet season (November to May). but can be present throughout the year.The large multi-tentacled jellyfish Chironex fleckeri can be found dose to the coast . In addition.several species of smaller jellyfish that can cause Irukandji syndrome are found near th e coast aswe ll as near ree fs and islands .Despite t heir notoriety, litt le is known about many box jellyfish. However, Commonwealth. stateand loca l governmen ts as we ll as universities, private individuals, community groups andphilant hropic orga nisa tions are funding research to discover the types, distribution , seasonalityand life cycles of th ese jellyfish . The se funds a re also supporting research to reduce th e risk ofbeing stung, improve t he t reatment of victims, and educate loca ls and visitors about box jellyfish .

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    Classifying box jellyfishJellyfish with box-shaped bodies Of bells arecalled cubozcan jellyfish .They belong to thePhylum Cnidaria which also induces seaanemones, corals" truejellyfish andbluebottles.There eretwomain groups of cubozoanjellyfish- chirodropids and carybdeids.Chirodropid jellyfish include the large boxjellyfish Chironex fleckeri and species ofChiropsalmus . Carybdeids include the jimbleCarybdea 'astonii andlrukandji jellyfish such as(a ruba bemesi.Ch irodropd jellyfishcanbe larger thancarybdeidjellyfish. For example,Chl(onel fleckeri cangrow300-380mm across thebell andonespecies ofChiropSdlmus can grow to 90mmacross the bell.The carybdeid jellyfish Carukia barnes; usuallyonly glows to about 10mm 3C IO!iS the bell. Othercarybdeids can growto 80mm across the bell .Chirodropid jellyfishhavemultple tentacleshang ingfromeach of the fourcomers of theirbells while carybdeids usua lly havea sing letentacle hang ing from each corner. For examp le.Chironex fkckeri can have upto 60 tentedes,15on each corner. Species ofCh iropsalmus canhave upto ninetentacles oneach comerofthebell.In contrast, the carybdeid jellyfish Caruhabarnesi hasa single retractile tentacle, upto750mm lonq , harl gingfrom eachcorner of itsbody. The jimble Carybdea rastonii also has asingle tentacle fromeach corner ofits be l which

    canbeupto 300mm long . However, somespecies of carybdeids may have several tentedesfrom each comer. For example, Tipeda lia billGrahastwo tentacles from each corner of its bell.

    Th t Jlinging celh of Jome ClIbozoan Jellyfilhare conuntrottd in bandl on th t ttnto{/tJ

    Chirodropid jell yfish usuallyonly have stingingcells on theirtentacles. Most carybdeid jellyfishsuchas Caruki.3 bdrnesi have stinging cells onboth the body and tentacles .

    Distribution &abundanceBoxjelyfishcanbe found inmost tropical seasaround theworld . InAustralia, they are found intropical waters predom inantly inthewetseason(November to May), butmaybe presentthroughout the year.Caruba barnesi, thefirst jellyfish shown tocause lrukandji syndrome, has been found fromPort Do uglas in north Queensland, to as farsouth astheWhitsundays.The jellyfish are foundoffshoreas well as along coastalbeaches whennortherly or north-easterlywinds and currentsare thought to carry them onshore.The number

    ofjellyfish in inshore waters can vary betweenyears, probab ly dueto changingweatherconditions. In 1999-2000, twoscientistssampling north ofCairns every dayfor fourmon thsOYer summer caugh't 270CarokidbiJrrtl!'Si (most of them were caught in threedays).The following year, only two jellyfishwerecaught inthesame time.Life cycleThere are almost 30 species ofcubozoan or boxjellyfish butthe life cycles ofonlya few areknown.The li fecycle 01the box jell yfishChironexfleckeriwas revealed in the early 1980s.Ad ult male and female jellyfishare thought torelease sperm andeggs in to the water Thefertilised eggs develop into 'planuta'farvae whichmay swim for a few days before senliog to thebottom ofthecreek.The planulae deve lop in topolyps andcrawl about for several days beforeattaching10 rocks onthecreek bed. The linypolyps startfeed ing on plankton andthen thepolyps bud off ema polyps. Each polypmetamorphoses intoa single mn iature boxjelyfish(called a medusa) about l.5mm in sizewhichgrows anddeve lops into larger jellyfIsh.These small jellyfish make theirway to the creekmouth andalorq sandy beaches.

    The life cycle ofmost carybdeid jellyfish includingCaruba bdrnesi isunknown .The polyps 01 acarybdeidjellyfish fromPuerto Rcohave beenfo und in creeksondead biva lve shells,

    ChirodropidJellyfishChirodropid l y f i s haV!!' multipletentacleshangngfromeden comer oftheirbox-shapedbodies . They usuallyhave stinging cellsonlyon theirtentaces.

    Chirone:tt f1eckeri laIge. aln'lO!>l: traMj3artnt jellyfM l4Jto 380mm OICfOSS Up to IS tentedes from each COIllefofits lx;--sl\aped bc:Kly found in tropical watersnomExmOUlh, WA10 near GladStOlle,Queensland Found near thecoast and some teasrel isandswch as Magneti(Island near T o w n s ~ l l andsome inshoreWhitsun day Islands Severeand ~ I i a lde-threateninq sting that ca uses burningsk in pa in.Severe stingsmay cause thevi(tim'sbreathing toceaseor theheantc stop

    Ch iropsalmusThese jellyfishare sma/ler thanChronex andhave uptonine tentacles from each comerof the bell. Onlyonespecies of Chiropsa/mus wasthought to occur inAustralia (mis ra kenly called Chiropsalmus quadrigarus).Nowrhoughfto beseveral differenr sper:ies that are yetto be named. The stingispainful but does nor causelrukandjisyndrome.

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    quicklykill their prey so thatit doesnotescape.The venom iscontained in stinging cells callednemetcosts. Most box jellyfish have severaldifferent types of nemetcosts. thetypeandproportion of nematccrsts can be used toidentify some species.

    ChironeJC fleeteri has tenacles thatcan beextended tomore than three metres long. Thereare billions of nematcosts along each tentade.When ChironeJC fleeteri is young and eatingmostly prawns, only five percent of thenema tccvsts contain venomwhich ispotenttoverteb rates.However, as the jellyfsh growsandits diet switches to fish, the proportion ofvertebrate-potentvenom increases andcan befound in 3040 percent of thenematccysts.

    The stinging celts ha veaminiature harpooncoiled inside them which iseverted (turned'inside -out') when thejellyfish contacts itsprey.Thebulb01 thenem atcost injects tox in throughtheshaft and intothe prey. The tentade iscontracted, and thepedalia (oar-likestructures atthe base 01 the tentacles near thebell) push thelood intothemanubrium ormouth which islocated inside the bell. Once the nema tocets arefired, the jellyfish has to produce newrematcosts to replace them.

    The sting

    Speciesof box jellyfish that cause 'lrukandjsyndrome' appear to feed mainly on larva l oradult fish .

    Pain is instant and severe. The tentacles are likesticky threads and leave raised red marks. Thevenom of thebox jellyfish isneurotoxic lanacksnerves), cardiotoxic (altacks theheart) anddermatonecouc (destroys skin).Therefore,victims can rapidly stopbreathing, sometimeswithin a lew minutesof thesting. Death occursrapidly unless prompt first aid andmedical aid isavailable. If the victim survives, they are oftenscarred.Treating thesting sites as if they were

    The box jellyfish Chironel( fleeteriare themostvenomous marine creatures on theplanet and, inAustralia, have killed almost 70 people inthelast 120years. IntheNorthern Territory, latalboxjellyfish stings have been reported in everymonth of theyear except August.Most stingsoccur in shallowwater when the windislightandthe water calm(althoughstings haveoccurred in rough weather, in very dirty, deeperwater).Victimsusualyblunder intotenteclestrailing behind the jellyfish which are almostinvisible inthewater. Most stings occur onthelower legs and body_

    It takes only a lewcentimetres ofChironextentacle to killa small fish. Only a tew metres oftentaoe (which may contain billions of stingingcells) is needed to contact a swimmer's exposedflesh to deliver a dose of venom thatcould befatal within minutes.

    Slingingcens haveminiatureharpaan!coiledImide them

    eji! ; ; ; " " " " .............

    Box jellyfish feed on fish, crustaceansand otherma rine invertebrates.They use potent venom to

    Feeding & venom

    Jellyfishalso have organs calledstatoostslocatedbelow the eye clusters that hepthemmaintain balance in thewater. Insideeachsatocyst isa hard nodulecalled a statolith thatiscomposed of calcium sulfate. Inmany speciesof box jellyfish. statoliths have daily growth ringsand can be used for ageing them. It may also bepossible to use statolitts to identify jellyfishspecies when their soft body parts are destroyed.

    All cubozoanshave eyessothat they canhuntprey and avoid objectsinthewater. Eachjellyfishhas24eyes dustered intofour groups of six oneach side 01 its box-shaped body. There are twotypes of ineach duster - two complexeyessimilar 10 human eyes (with retinas, lenses andcorneas) and two simple pit eyes andtwosliteyes.Althoughcubozoan jellyfish donot a have abrain (theyhave neurons concentrated infournevecentres), recentstudies indica te thattheycan form images.

    U n l i ~ many jellyfish. the mulnple-tentaded boxjellyfish Chironex fleckerl is a fast and agileswimmer and is rarely ever found washeduponbeeches. It can swimat upto three knotsandmanoeuvrearound pylonsand piers. Although(a ruba bornesi is also a box jellyfish, it isnotasproficien t at swimming asChironex flecked.

    Vision & movement

    CarybdeidJellyfishCarybdeid jellyfishusuallyonly have asingle tentaclehanging from eachcornerof theirbO I(-shaped bodes .They havestingingcells on both bodyand tentacles.

    C rybdea rasta"ii, jimble About 1>-40mmtall found in southern waters fromCoffs Harbour, N>W. toAlbany,

    W ~ e Austral

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    burns greatly reduces thescarring, suggestingthat it may besecondary infectionsthat causethescarring.

    Irukandji syndromeIn2002, stings from Irukandji jellyfsh killedtwopeople - one man in theWhitsundays andanother ona reef near Port Doug las. It is possiblethat these jellyfsh havebeen responsib le fordeaths inthepast thatwere attributed to othercauses such as decomp ression sickness, heartfa ilure with fluid onthelungs (pulmonaryoedema) and drowning.The initial stng of the Irukandji jellyfish isusuallynotvery pa inful although thisisnotalways thecase. lrukandj stings havebeen confirmed inshallow wa teras little as 30mm deep.About 5-45 (usually 30) mnutesafter be ingSUng, the person starts to develop 'Irukand jisyndrome' - a set of symptoms that often includesevere lower back pain, muscle cramps, vom iting,restlessness and anxiety. In rare cases, thevictmcan su ffer pulmonary oedema (fluidonthelungs), hypertension or heart failu rethat could befatal if not treated.Carukia bemesi was thefirst jellyfish shown tocause Irukandji syndrome. It isnamed afterDr Jack Barnes who proved the linkbetween itssting and the Irukandji syndrome,The syndrome isnamed after theIrukandji Abor igina l tribewholive in theCairns area in northQueensland whereCarukia barnesi is found.

    A JUnger.reIiJton! ner in norrh Queens/and

    Wh ile lrukand]i was originally used to refer to asinglespecies ofjellyfsh, Carukia bemesi, it isnowused to refer to any box jellyfish withasting thatproduces lrukand]i synd rome. So far,only a fewspecies of carybdeid jellyfish havebeen shown to cause Irukandji syndrome,however, it isbelieved thata sting from severa lother species of jellyfish can produce thesyndrome.InAustralia, most cases arerestrictedto watersnorth oftheTropic ofCapricorn although someoccur as tarsouth as Bundabergontheeastcoast. They occurmostly between November andMay but cases have been recorded inallmonthsoftheyear. In rare cases, Irukandji-Iike syndromehas been reported from MoretonBay, Newcast le,in and around Sydney Harbour and nearPerth.The number of peop lewho are stung andpresentto hospital each year varies - from only afew, tomore than 200people. In the summer of2001-02, approximately160 people were stung bymid February (approximately 100 people inCairns,10-15 inTownsville, 20in the Whitsundays, 10-12inGrea t Keppel, 15inAgnesWa ters). Inthe2002-03 summer, about 40 people were stunginthesame time. Inthe2003-04 summer, 33people were stung inCairns.

    Firstaid1. Call for assistance. Seealifesaver or

    lifeguard orring 000 ~ n ask forambulance.2, Emergency care. Thestingvict im

    should be removed from danger when itissafe todoso, and restra ined fromrubbing the sting.AdmnisterCaroo-Pulmonary Res usci tation if thevict im'sbrea thing orheart stops.

    3. Treat the sting. Thesting should beflushedwithplenty of undilutedhouseholdvinegar. Th isdisablestheundischarged sting ing cells(nema tocysts) so thatthey cannotdischa rge and t n thevictim.Howeve r, it isnotan antidote and willnotstop thescarring fromChironexfleckeristngs, nor the pain. Keep thevctim calm.

    4. Seekmedical aid, Tan sport tohospital via ambu lance. There isan antivenom forCh ironex fleckeri stngs andmedica l ass istance should be so ught assoonas possible so that it can beadministe red. There isno anti-venomforlrukand]i syndrome. Inrarecases.envenoming by Irukandji e l y f i ~ h ca ncause dangerouslyhigh brood pressure(seve re hypertension).The patientshou ldbe taken tohospital as soon aspcssble il they develop lrukandjisyndrome to be treatedforthe painandother severe systemcsymptoms.

    .' .. ' . ..:.; .;. . f .

    ..re jelly, Morbakka ororeton Bay st ingerOfteneroneously allied Tamoya(wh ich do not occur inAustra lia)At least 3undescribed speces60-80mm wideOne flattened tentacle up to 1mlong ineach corner of be llFound from Pert Doug las,Queensland toSydney. NSW

    Irukandj i jellyfishStings fromseveral speciesof almosttransparentjellyfishmay produceIrukandjisyndrome in thevictim. The sting fromsomespecies cancausevery high bloodpressurewhich couldbe life-threatening. Found neartropical islands, beachesandtheouter reef.

    Carukia barnes i Amost invisibe in water About lOmmacross bell withone tentacle from each corner found closetothe coastbetween PortDouqlas and the

    W h i t ~ u n d a y l , Oueenslend Sing causes irukandji Iyndrome

    11IUndescribed ca rybdeidsStings fromseveral speciesof as yet undescribedcarybd eids canproduce/rukandji syn drome

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    Preventing the stingSwim in supervised areas such asa beam whereSurf Lifesaving noeenslend (SlSQ) l ifesaversand Lifeguardsmonitorthepresenceofdangerous jellyfish.The mesh used in slinger-resistan t nets in northQueensla nd isfine enough 10 keep out the boxjellyfishChronexfleck.ed but mayallowIrukandji jellyfish to pass throogh.A Iycra bodysuit can help protectagainst stings.

    Future researchThere isstlll much research to bedone to betterunderstandbox jellyfish.Some leyareas ofresearch indude:

    Surf l i fe Saving QueI'm/and manitarl tfK prelence of jellyfilh af l U p e r v l l ~ brochel

    Other stinging jellyfishAll jellyfish have stinging cellsandseveralotherjellyfish inAustralianwaterscan ca use very painfulSings. These jellyfish are 'scyphozoan' iellyfish and no cubozoan 01 boxJl'llyfish. The bellsofscyphozoan jellyfish aredomed andnot box-shaped and havemany tentacles hangirlg undernea th. ,

    eRe Reef websiteon lrukandj www.reef.crc.org.aulaboutreef /coastalli rukandji.html Queen sland Government Irukandji Jellyfish Response Group at www.marinest ingers.com.au DrPeter Fenner'swebsite aboutjellyfish atwww.marine-medic.com.au Dr JamieSeymour's website about box jellyfish atwww.jcu.edu.au/int erestlstingers/ lisa-ann Gershwin's website about jellyfish at www.medusozDa.com

    Unravelthe lifecycle ofCarukia barnesi andother lrukandji jellyfish .

    Identify factors that cause appearance ofjellyfish sothat their arrival (anddeparture)from beaches can be predicted.

    Discover howmany species ofjellyfishcauseIrukandjisyndrome SO that doctors are betterableto treat stings. This work isunderwaywithboth traditional andmolecular methodsbeing used to identify jellyfish species,espe

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    Bluebottles & Pacific man -a-warPhysalia species cause stingsthataresimlarto those110mjellyfish although these animalsaresiphonophores (hydrozoan,) andnot jellyfish(scyphozoansandcubozoans),About 1030,000 stings eachyear arereported along the eastcoast ofAustra liafromPhysalia withabout 500reportedfromWesternAustraiaandSouth Austraia.Nofataities have beenconfirmed from theseanimals in theSouthernHemispherebut there have been seve ralfatalitiesfrom reated speciesintheNothernHemisphee.

    Ensuring the futureof theworld's coral reefsInsead of theusua l jellyfishbell, Physalia havea gas-filledsac that floason thesurface 01thewater andtenaclesthat hangunderneath. Physalia can changetheorientatonof itsfloat anduse it to 'sail'with thewind.There arestingingce lls(or nematocystsl inrowsalongthetentacles,The lifecycleof these stingersisno known.

    Established andsupported underthe AustralianGovernment 'sCooperativeResearch CentresProg ram

    CRCReef Research Centre lt dis a joint venture betweentheAssociation of Marine Pa rkTouismOperators, AusralianInsitute of MarineScienceGreatBarrier Reef MarineParkAuthority, Great Barier Reef ResearchFoundation, JamesCook University,Queensland Departmen of PrmaryIndustriesand Fisheries, QueenslandSeafood IndustryAssociationandSunfishQueensland Inc.The Universi tyof Queensand is an associatemember.

    CRCReef Research Cent re l tdis a knowledge-based partnership ofcoral reef ecosys tem researchers,managersand industry. Itsmissionisto provide research solutions10prated,conserveand restore theworld'scoral reefs.

    The blu ebottle Physalia utricuusisAustraia'smost common species. It hasabluefloa t usualy2080mm long (bu can beupto ,SOmmlong)whch iswrinkledonthetop Thebluebottle hasasingemainretractletentacle hangingfrom thefloa t that canbecontracted toafewcentimetresorexended toseveral metres long.Manyshorter smaller tentac lesmay alsohang from the floa. Thebluebotteis foundinvast numbersontheeastern Australiancoast everyyear. They alsooccur inSouthandWestern Austaia.Thestingcauses immediatepainwhch canlastmorethan an hour. The painisusually in thelymphglandsthat draintheleg sand arms.It ispossiblethat therearetwootherspec ies ofPhysaia that aremuch largerthan thebluebottleand have both been ca lledPacific man-e-war

    The Pacificman-e-warisreatedto thePortuguese man-o-werfromtheAtlanticOcean .Thefloa of thePacificman -a-war is100-1SOmmlongcompaed with thePortuguese man-owar which hasafloatwhichcan be2S0300mm long.The floatof thePacificman-a-warhas7-8long retractile tentacles andmanyshorter, fineten tacles hangingfromit. The longretractile tentacles canbeextended to , 0meres long.The Pacificman -e-wa r causes astingwhich ismore painfu l than those fromthebluebott le.The pancanbere ieved bycod packs.In some cases, thevictmmay sufer amoderateIrukandji-like syndrome with backpain,andmuscle cramps in thelimbs,abdomenandchest

    I,siThe bluebollie

    Th isbrod1urewa, written by l ouseGoggin (CRC Reef). lisa-annGershwin(JamesCookUnverstyaodAustraianIn titute01Marine Science ).Perer Fenner(MOl JameS e ~ m(JamesCook Universiy) andTeresa ranene (James Cook University) ,Thank, to PeterDawes (Surllife Sav ingQueen,land)andRu,sel Hore(Reel Bosearth).

    CRCReefResearch CentrePOBox 772TownsvilleQueensand4810AustraliaTelephone: 07 47298400Em ail: [email protected]: www.reef.crc.orq.au

    PublishedbyCRC Reef Research renee Ltd 2004Printed onrecycled pane