Species Chironex fleckeri Southcott, 1956
Compiler and date details
June 2012 - Lisa-ann Gershwin
DRAFT RECORD
This taxon is under review. This record is released now for public view, prior to final verification. For further information or comment email us.
- Chironex fleckeri Southcott, R.V. 1956. Studies on Australian cubomedusae, including a new genus and species apparently harmful to man. Australian Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research 7(2): 254–280 [259].
Type data:
Holotype SAMA H12♂, Cardwell, QLD.
Paratype(s) SAMA H16 (immature), Cardwell, QLD; SAMA H13♀; SAMA H19♀, Darwin, NT; SAMA H17 (juvenile), Cardwell, QLD; SAMA H16 (juvenile); SAMA H18 (late juvenile), Cairns, QLD.
Distribution
States
Northern Territory, Queensland
IMCRA
Northern Shelf Province (25)
Other Regions
Torres Strait Islands terrestrial, marine & freshwater
Ecological Descriptors
Carnivorous, estuary, marine, nectonic, pelagic.
Diagnosis
Bell to about 200mm high, lacking exumbrellar nematocysts. Tentacles robust, flat in cross section, up to 15 per pedalium. Pedalial canal with upward-pointing "thorn" projecting off the bend. Gastric saccules solid, cock's-comb-shaped, covered with functional gonad; lateral gonad reduced. Mesenteries cord-like from stomach to rhopalium. Statolith medicine-tablet-shaped, cylindrical with rounded ends.
Sting
Chironex fleckeri has long been considered the 'world's deadliest animal', and is capable of killing an adult human in 2–3 minutes. Similar lethal jellyfishes occur throughout southeast Asia, the Philippines, Indonesia, and Papua New Guinea; these are probably closely related to C. fleckeri.
History of changes
| Published | As part of group | Action Date | Action Type | Compiler(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13-Aug-2013 | MODIFIED |