Irukandji jellyfish

Malo kingi in a clear plastic vial

The Irukandji jellyfish (/ɪrəˈkændʒi/ irr-ə-KAN-jee) are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of rare jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3 or 0.061 in3), they are both the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world. They inhabit the northern marine waters of Australia, and cost the Australian government $AUD 3 billion annually through medical costs associated with stings and tourism losses.[1] [2] This type of jellyfish reproduces sexually with eggs and sperm.[3] They fire their stingers into their victim, causing a condition known in humans as Irukandji syndrome, which can be fatal and difficult to immediately recognise due to the delayed effects of the venom.[4] There are about 16 known species of Irukandji, of which Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, Malo maxima, Malo filipina and Malo bella are the best known.[5][6][7]

Irukandji syndrome was named in 1952 by Hugo Flecker,[8] who first described the symptoms of envenomation by this jellyfish.[9] The syndrome was named after the Irukandji people, whose region stretches along the coastal strip north of Cairns, Queensland.[7][10] The first of these jellyfish, Carukia barnesi, was identified in 1964 by Jack Barnes; to prove it was the cause of Irukandji syndrome, he captured the tiny jellyfish and allowed it to sting him, his nine-year-old son, and a robust young lifeguard. They all became seriously ill, but survived.[11] Australian toxicologist Jamie Seymour made a documentary about the jellyfish called Killer Jellyfish.[7][12][13]

In 2015, North Queensland researchers discovered evidence that Irukandji jellyfish actively hunt prey.[14][15]

  1. ^ Gershwin, Lisa-ann; Richardson, Anthony J.; Winkel, Kenneth D.; Fenner, Peter J.; Lippmann, John; Hore, Russell; Avila-Soria, Griselda; Brewer, David; Kloser, Rudy J. (1 January 2013), Lesser, Michael (ed.), "Chapter One - Biology and Ecology of Irukandji Jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa)", Advances in Marine Biology, 66, Academic Press: 1–85, doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-408096-6.00001-8, PMID 24182899, retrieved 28 November 2023
  2. ^ Rowley, Olivia C.; Courtney, Robert; Northfield, Tobin; Seymour, Jamie (4 August 2022). "Environmental drivers of the occurrence and abundance of the Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi)". PLOS ONE. 17 (8): e0272359. Bibcode:2022PLoSO..1772359R. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0272359. ISSN 1932-6203. PMC 9352007. PMID 35925949.
  3. ^ Courtney, R (2016). "Early life history of the 'Irukandji' Jellyfish Carukia Barnesi". PLOS ONE. 11 (3): e0151197. Bibcode:2016PLoSO..1151197C. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0151197. PMC 4783009. PMID 26954781.
  4. ^ Winter, Kelly L.; Isbister, Geoffrey K.; Schneider, Jennifer J.; Konstantakopoulos, Nicki; Seymour, Jamie E.; Hodgson, Wayne C. (10 July 2008). "An examination of the cardiovascular effects of an 'Irukandji' jellyfish, Alatina nr mordens". Toxicology Letters. 179 (3): 118–123. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2008.04.011. ISSN 0378-4274. PMID 18547753.
  5. ^ Gershwin, Lisa-Ann (2007). "Malo kingi: A new species of Irukandji jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeida), lethal to humans, from Queensland, Australia". Zootaxa. 1659 (1659): 55–68. doi:10.11646/zootaxa.1659.1.2. Retrieved 23 July 2010.
  6. ^ Li, R. (2011). "The pharmacology of Malo maxima jellyfish venom extract in isolated cardiovascular tissues: A probable cause of the Irukandji syndrome in Western Australia". Toxicology Letters. 201 (3): 221–9. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.01.003. PMID 21237252.
  7. ^ a b c Crew, Becky, "The Smallest and Deadliest Kingslayer in the World", October 7, 2013, Scientific American blog, retrieved Nov. 6, 2016
  8. ^ Kong, E. L.; Nappe, T. M. (2021). "Irukandji Syndrome". StatPearls. StatPearls. PMID 32965935.
  9. ^ Pearn, J. H. (1990). "Flecker, Hugo (1884–1957)". Australian Dictionary of Biography, Volume 14. Melbourne University Press. pp. 182–184. ISBN 978-0-522-84717-8. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  10. ^ Flecker, Hugo (19 July 1952). "Irukandji sting to North Queensland bathers without production of weals but with severe general symptoms". The Medical Journal of Australia. 2 (3): 89–91. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1952.tb100081.x. ISSN 0025-729X. PMID 14956317. S2CID 29684377.
  11. ^ Gussow, Leon (April 2005). "The Amazing and Bizarre Discovery of Irukandji Syndrome: Emergency Medicine News". Emergency Medicine News. 27 (4): 44. doi:10.1097/00132981-200504000-00037.
  12. ^ Barnes, J. (1964). "Cause and effect in Irukandji stingings". Medical Journal of Australia. 1 (24): 897–904. doi:10.5694/j.1326-5377.1964.tb114424.x. PMID 14172390.
  13. ^ Li, Ran; Wright, Christine E.; Winkel, Kenneth D.; Gershwin, Lisa-Ann; Angus, James A. (March 2011). "The pharmacology of Malo maxima jellyfish venom extract in isolated cardiovascular tissues: A probable cause of the Irukandji syndrome in Western Australia". Toxicology Letters. 201 (3): 221–29. doi:10.1016/j.toxlet.2011.01.003. PMID 21237252.
  14. ^ Branco, Jorge (5 June 2015). "Deadly irukandji jellyfish catch their food like a human fisher". Brisbane Times. Retrieved 4 June 2018.
  15. ^ "Irukandji jellyfish actively hunt prey researchers find". ABC Far North Qld. 3 June 2015. Retrieved 4 June 2018.