BT Friends,
We are in the final stages of research before publishing a scientific article on the new species of Cubozoan, box jelly, originally photographed off Bonaire. This research began in 2001. This fall the genetic sequencing was completed and now the descriptive work is reaching a conclusion. Also, a fresh specimen was captured by Johan van Blerk last summer, and it officially resides at The Smithsonian Institute, with whom I have been working on this project.

There have been many folks who have been quite helpful in documenting this new species. Now I am trying to zero in on ALL of the sightings, reported or unreported, to include in the documentation. There have been over 20+ documented BBBJ sightings off Bonaire, and one off Utila (Honduras) and one off St. Lucia.

My first request here is that ANYone who has seen one of these animals, the box jelly with 4 tentacles singular, banded tentacles, post that information here and/or email it to me directly. Some have started calling it the CBBJ, Caribbean Banded Box Jelly, but it is the same organism. I also hope this will be a place where photos can be posted to share with all BTers.

If you post a sighting, please include as much of the following as possible: date, depth, depth of water, time of day, size, coloration, stings (if any), or other data available.

Also, this the International Year of Science. June is designated as the Water and Ocean month. A component of June will be a feature on the BBBJ background and new species naming contest. Yup. The public is going to get to name this new species.

Thanks. This has been a wild ride.

Bud Gillan
Boca Raton, FL
bud13@earthlink.net
561.702.2788

Hi Bud,

How large a critter is this? Any picture you can share for those interested?

Yes - pics please.

A couple of links

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwilhelmus/2680584616/sizes/l/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mwilhelmus/2680584616/sizes/l/

Death in 5 minutes, not a pleasant thought

Sorry, here is the other link I found

http://www.scubadiving.com/forum/tm.aspx?m=44511

Bud, What does one do if getting stung by a BBBJ? Death in 5 minutes does not sound good as was posted above.

I actually went back to look at the 5 minutes and die quote from box jellyfish and found the reference in this link from the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History

https://www.mnh.si.edu/eNewsletter/2008Autumn/newsletter-fromthefield.html

I guess, if seen, stay away might be a good thing. lol

Ken:

Great info. Thanks.

How deep are they usually spotted?

Here is a link to a BBBJ reports on BT.

http://www.oldbonairetalk.com/newsgroup/messages/30/294451.html

The one I saw was at Something Special between 6 and 10 feet, it was 6 to 8 ins long. Seen at 13:00 20th Sept 2006.

Quite a few on YouTube

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNnfhQqAq4c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PF9TmBfEkaQ

The next video was taken on the same dive as my picture on the BT link. The divers handing up the cameras at end are myself and Sue

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rj8UN-FjUyw

Very informative videos. Thanks

if I remember right, the Australian box jelly is an active hunter - and swims as fast as a person - or faster - is that the same for the BBBJ?


hmmm great info - we'll keep our eyes wide open

There are is little data on the toxicity of the BBBJ. 3 documented BBBJ stings on Bonaire that I recorded. They were all serious stings, but none life-threatening. There is not the same at the ultra-toxic Chironex and Irukandji jellies from the Indo-Pacific. However, all jellies that sting, pose a dual health risk of allergic reactions as well as toxins.

As on all Caribbean islands, there are numerous jelly stings each year. Bonaire has its share of serious stings, mostly due to the clear, common box jellies that present themselves in swarms and individual throughout the year. Bonaire is still one of safest dive and snorkel locations in the world. UVA/UVB are a much more serious risk then jellies.

Thanks for data and emails.

Bud

ok, let me make sure i have this straight......there's the caribbean box jelly......well known at bonaire......spawns 7-10 days after full moon......not deadly.....but nasty sting, and now we have the BBBJ.......with the bands of course.....and again, not deadly, but an even nastier sting than the caribbean box jelly, right?

DD.
BBBJ = CBBJ (same organism, new species currently being researched has 4 tentacles and bands)
There are ~24 cubozoans (box jellies) worldwide. More new species are in research.
All are toxic, ranging from moderate to lethal.
Only 1 known species (not BBBJ) has a reproductive swarming 8-10 after the full moon (worldwide), which was called Carybdea, now Alatina (Genus).
The term "sea wasp" is a nickname given to many species of Cubozoans.
One new Chironex species was officially recognized and published this week from Japan and The Philippines.
There are several species of Cubozoans in the Atlantic and Caribbean.
Johan van Blerk has provided pics of yet another box jelly species from Bonaire that is under discussion that is clear with translucent blue tentacles.
Box jellies moved as far north as North Carolina last summer in significant numbers.
2 species of box jellies were present this winter in Boca Raton, FL. Some very serious stings as well.
So the descriptions and distributon/ranges are quite fluid.

Original BBBJ pic

Don't know if anyone is still awake, but just came upon a show on Animal Planet about Box Jellyfish. Not the BBBJ, but fascinating show and lots to learn about similarities to the BBBJ.

Hi Bud, it's Pauline! I just saw two more today at Tori's Reef--that is where I saw the first one a couple of years ago. Then a few days later we procured a sample off of the rocks at Batchelor's Beach that had stung a young girl whose father then plucked it out of the water. The sample is the one Jake Richter took photos of and kept in a big jar.

Still as creepy as ever!

Hi Pauline,
Thanks for the new and interesting info. I remember the terrible sting and the JR pics. That one got blocked in US customs. We did get a specimen through Houston last summer which in the one we used for the DNA and descriptive work.

What is new about your sighting Sunday is that you saw two. Did you see them at the some time at Tori's or during the same dive/snorkel, just in different locations? This is only the second time anyone has seem more than one at a time. Could you email/BT the vitals: size, time, depth, coloration of the banding, any other characteristics? Thanks. I will add it to the database, which will be published this spring with the scientific paper we are publishing.
Any pics of the new ones?

FYI. We are still quite interested in getting another specimen for permanent display at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. If anyone captures one please let Ramon at STINAPA know right away. He has the proper preservatives.

FYI2. The pic of BBBJ I posted is a pic from the original video shot by Vicki Carr in 2001.

Thanks...
Bud

BBBJ New Species Naming Contest Website

http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/celebrate/

This starts up in June. Note the BBBJ and Marijke's son off of Divi last July. BTs Johan van Blerk's video will be featured as well.

Bud

Sort of off topic here. I was at Bonaire last week staying at Eden Beach. Went diving Thursday April 16 at Something Special. My wife and daughter snorkeled on top and got into many many jellies. I got a photo of one during the dive on the way down at about 35 to 40 feet. I don't know if they are common, but you seem the guy to ask. It had only a single tentacle like a fine string trailing a ellipsoid blob with no obvious opening on the bottom. I'm including an image (best I could manage). I pointed it out to my buddy (Sanjay) and he attempted to photo it too, but I haven't seen if his photo turned out any better. I did a cursory search on single tentacle jellyfish and came up with several box jellies with "single tentacles" on each corner, but no truly single tentacle hits.

\image
jellyfish?

(Message edited by Steve_H on April 20, 2009)

take 2 on the image on the previous post it said that image was an unrecognized code???

Stephen,
What is the size of the bell/"glob" and the length of the sting? Are you sure this is what was stinging you? Your email stated the stings were intense but shortlived (and still itch). It would be helpful to post your friends pics too. I have seen relatively large single tentacled jellies while snorkeling out in the blue waters.
It would be helpful to see or have described the other end (top). Did it have a small knob-like structure on it?
Thx.
Bud

I hope you don't mind me asking - since you have been following this species for several years, what kind of population trends have you seen?

I ask because I am preparing a research paper for school on the health of our oceans. One of the points I plan to feature is how the increased jellyfish population is thought by many to be an indicator of the decline of our pelagic well-being.

We were taken aback at the number of jellyfish we saw along the northeast coast this past summer, and it definitely piqued my interest in this subject. I would love to know if the increase has continued this far south.

Thanks!

W and C.
You ask a big question and I am sure a lot of folks can chip in from personal experiences. Worldwide, there are jelly blooms and swarms at epidemic levels. This is in every ocean, cold and warm. Last year, was called "The Year of the Jellyfish" in the NYC area, for example. Jellies are kind of like the canary in the coal mine, ecologically speaking. This includes toxic and non-toxic species. There a variety of theories and some science regarding causes. We can start with lower sea turtle populations and other jelly consumers like tuna. These stocks are down. What is in the water, abiotically feeds the water into tissue digestive systemics. Exotics are moving in ship ballasts at an alarming rate. I am sure you will find tons of info and reasons, and also conjectures. It is hard to imagine these increases are just cyclic.
So this is in-between classes, but it should get some ideas on the board to go research. Google News Alerts "jellyfish" and daily you will see stuff too.
You can always email if you want.
Bud

Wow - that's a lot more answer than I expected, and I don't want to hijack this thread, so I will definitely take you up on your e-mail offer, and hopefully you will get the responses you seek from these wonderful folks on BT!

Thank you!
Cindy

Update on the naming contest mentioned 7 posts above:
June 1-14: submit your species name to the website
http://www.yearofscience2009/jellyfish
June 15-18: scientists pick their 5 favorite names posted
June 19-21: public vote on the names
late jUne/erly July: winning name posted

Mel:

Web address problems ??????????

IE can not find the address ????

And IE is not Instructor Examiner !! lol

Mel:

This was all I could find from the message earlier in this thread. It seems the contest will open June 1. There is no clickable link at this time that I can find.

http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/celebrate/

Duh.
http://www.yearofscience2009.org/jellyfish

I forgot my org.

Mel:

I left a message without signing in. Should I join and then maybe a better link will pop up?

That's the link, but it doesn't actually open until June 1, so I'm guessing the page will change then. Hang in there 25 more days!

OK then. The link is bookmarked in favorites.

Name that Jellyfish Species Contest eFlyer will be posted by the Year of Science folks in a few days. Bonaire is going to make Cnidarian history at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History.

Also, during the first 2 weeks of June the Smithsonian's Ocean Hall will host a special event and exhibit regarding the BBBJ and New Species Naming Contest. A parallel focus (pardon the educator in me) is a better understanding of the process and nature of science. We will also be doing a jelly blog from Bonaire in June, which all of you are welcome to join virtually and/or underwater.

Bonaire buddies.
Here is info about the BBBJ Naming Contest which is about to start, plus Dr. Collins note from The Smithsonian about BBBJ on flickr and the included link to Encyclopedia of Life, which includes the new and original use of the described genus of Tamoya (species to be named by public). This includes Tim's excellent photos of BBBJ from St. Lucia and Vicki Carr's original footage from 2001. And remember this is ongoing research so please send me any new or past sightings and I will add them to the BBBJ database.
Bud

Hi guys:
Been meaning to show you this. I made a flickr account and have uploaded some pics and Vicki's video here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/36072952@N02/tags/bonairebandedboxjelly/

All of these have been made part of the Encyclopedia of Life "group" and tagged with "Tamoya" and so they should show up on EoL pages for Tamoya, as well as the BBBJ page when we get a species name.

I have tried to make sure that proper attribution is put into each of the pictures, but let me know if you notice anything you'd like changed.

And BTW, the jellyfish pages are coming along. Jen and the COPUS team have our draft content up in a staging area. I think it should go public relatively soon. It looks cool.

--Allen

Dr. Allen G. Collins - phone: (202) 633-0645, Invertebrate Zoologist, Curator for Medusozoa and Hexactinellida
National Systematics Laboratory of NOAA Fisheries Service
National Museum of Natural History, MRC-153
Smithsonian Institution, P.O. Box 37012, Washington, DC 20013-7012 USA

Bud, the link dose not work.

I will check it out.
Thanks.
You can cut and paste into your browser.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/36072952@N02/tags/bonairebandedboxjelly/

The link is fine. Here is a version with a hyperlink that is not truncated.

tamoya

(Message edited by tursiops on May 13, 2009)

The naming contest is now live.
http://www.yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/general/jellyfish.html

Tursiops.
I hope you submit a clever name.

Bud, I won't be able to play. I'm a Director at the Consortium for Ocean Leadership, one of the sponsoring organizations. But if someone doesn't do better than aurefasciata I'll be depressed.

Saturday June 6 is World Ocean Day...
We will be at the new Ocean Hall in The Smithsonian Institute to exhibit and talk about the BBBJ and the process of research for establishing a new species. Took 8 years. We will have a chance to tell folks about Bonaire. Also the BBBJ Naming Contest has started until June 15.
Sunday we take the Bonaire story to the National Aquarium in Baltimore and will be by their new jellyfish exhibit.
btw, if you see a Bonaire Banded Box Jelly, please email me or post it here.
btw2, the academic research paper we wrote cleared peer and referee review and will be published with the new, public-chosen species name in the zoological journal, Zootaxa, this summer.
We will post a link for folks to have a chance to read this story and research that many folks contributed too. The nematocysts pics and morphology is just great. Even the rhopalium (eyes or optics) are clear.
Come see us if you get a chance in DC or Balt.
Wed I will be back on Bonaire. I be glad to talk to folks about the process. I am lining up another sting study, but not with the BBBJ :}

Congratulations - your hard work has certainly paid off!

The Bonaire jellyfish has now made Boston.com.
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/green/greenblog/2009/06/a_jellyfish_naming_contest_with_a_scientific_twist.html

Everybody will know about this now!

Ken,
The SI link is:

https://www.mnh.si.edu/eNewsletter/2008Autumn/newsletter-fromthefield.html

Thanks for keeping us up to date.

Bud

Hey Jelly friends,

Last weekend with the SI folks at Ocean Hall showing jellies from around the world and introducing folks to BBBJ was very fun. Some folks have submitted great ideas for names. The scene was the same on Sunday at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. btw, their new jelly exhibit is outstanding.

And go Boston....

My teaching buddy, Ned Deloach sent me an outstanding pic of a BBBJ off St. Vincent. So the biogeography widens.

3 more days for new names.

From Bonaire.
Bud

The BBBJ Final 7 Names are posted, see link. Over 500 names were submitted from around the world. Honorable Mentions are also posted.


http://yearofscience2009.org/themes_ocean_water/general/top-seven-jellyfish-names.html

There will be a BBBJ presentation at CIEE on July 8th. Some new research in jelly stings will also be discussed.

Please post any BBBJ sightings here.

Bud