Cook Islands Biodiversity Database

Species Page

Back to: «« Search Page | « Results Page

Add to My List

Carybdea alata cf.

Hawaiian Box Jellyfish

Multimedia & Additional Resources

Type	Description	Download
Image:	Box Jellyfish	31KB

General Information

COMMON NAMES: Hawaiian Box Jellyfish, Box Jellyfish

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE circumtropical (Pacific, Indian & Atlantic oceans)

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Native; Marine, pelagic

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: ; Poisonous sting?

KEY FEATURES: Jellyfish with Elongate cuboid bell. Bell usually to 10cm long x 5cmØ. Gonad in four longitundinal stripes, pale yellow. Posteriorly 4 long white tentacles with expanded transparent flap-like bases (=pedalia). Photo of CI specimen showed it to be about 20cm long - different species?

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea:
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Carybdea alata cf. (Reynaud, 1830)
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; CNIDARIA (=Coelenterates); SCYPHOZOA; Cubomedusae; CARYBDEIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
NEGATIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Poisonous sting?. Comments: The sting is said to be similar to that of the Portuguese Man-of-war.

GENERAL NOTE: Sting painful but non-lethal. Similar to sting of Portugese Man-of-war. Treatment - flood sting with vinegar. Remove visible tentacles with towel etc (not fingers). For pain apply ice to sting area. Seek medical advice. NB: toxin is a protein.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: photo 8/2000, Hoyt Peckham, ID Peckham/M.Abothnott/GM.

References:
None recorded.

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
Please refer to our use policy.

Biodiversity Database: More Options | Help

My List: View List | Edit List | Clear List