Sea Wasp
The sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is a box jellyfish of northern Australian waters and one of the most venomous marine animals known. Its square bell and 24 eyes set it apart from true jellyfish.
The sea wasp (Chironex fleckeri) is a box jellyfish of northern Australian waters and one of the most venomous marine animals known. Its square bell and 24 eyes set it apart from true jellyfish.
🧬 Field Guide Specimen: Open Sea Wasp Box Jellyfish in the CRV Science Field Guide to log the specimen, see its place among the Cnidaria+Ctenophora lineages in the Cladogram Explorer, and test your recall in the Red List conservation game.
Complex Eyes in a Simple Animal
Box jellyfish carry four sensory clubs (rhopalia), each with six eyes of different types, two of which have lenses, corneas and retinas like those of vertebrates. They have no centralized brain, yet they steer around obstacles and swim actively toward prey.
Dangerous Venom
Tentacles up to about 3 meters long carry millions of nematocysts. The venom attacks heart and nerve cells, and stings can be fatal in minutes. Vinegar is the standard first aid to stop undischarged cells from firing.
Seasonal Hazard
Stinger nets and warning signs protect swimmers during the warm, wet months. Box jellyfish belong to the class Cubozoa within the phylum Cnidaria.
Sea Wasp at a Glance
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Chironex fleckeri |
| Kingdom | Animalia |
| Phylum | Cnidaria |
| Class | Cubozoa |
| Family | Chirodropidae |
| Field Guide group | Cnidaria + Ctenophora (Radiata & Jellies) |
| Diagnostic feature (Field Guide) | Cubic bell with 4 pedalium corners, true image-forming retinal eyes on rhopalia, lethal cardiotoxic nematocysts. |
| Class | Cubozoa |
| Eyes | 24 in four clusters |
See Also
- Scyphozoa propulsion — true jellyfish swimming
- Titan subsurface ocean astrobiology — speculative jelly-like life