Philippines—The deadly box jellyfish Chironex yamaguchii was documented by a team of academics from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia. One of the authors is Christine Gloria Grace Capidos, a Science Research Specialist I from Samar State University, Catbalogan City.
Led by Dr. Sheldon Rey Boco from the Philippine Jellyfish Stings Project and joined by Dr. Phuping Sucharitakul and Dr. Jonathan W. Lawley, the study confirms the presence of one of the world’s most venomous jellyfish species based on specimens collected in the central Philippines in 2016 and 2019.
This groundbreaking study has been featured in the Manila Bulletin on February 16, 2025. The timely findings are particularly important given that the Philippines is a hotspot for this marine creature. These results will assist policymakers in developing beach safety regulations and guidelines, including measures to monitor and manage jellyfish populations and reduce sting risks. This directly supports Ms. Capidos’ extension project, The Silent Swimmers: A Jellyfish Awareness Initiative, which aims to address this issue.
Other contributors to the study included Raffy Jay Fornillos and Ian Kendrich Fontanilla from the DNA Barcoding Laboratory of the Institute of Biology, UP Diliman; Dennis Talacay from the Philippine Jellyfish Stings Project in Tacloban, Philippines; Joseph Elliz Comendador from the National Museum of the Philippines; and Dr. Allen G. Collins from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Systematics Laboratory and the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.