---
title: "What the sources say about the Irukandji Jellyfish | AnimalTracks.wiki"
description: "44 claims from the Irukandji Jellyfish profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it."
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---

# What the sources say about the Irukandji Jellyfish (*Carukia barnesi*)

> 44 claims from the Irukandji Jellyfish profile, each beside the words of the source that backs it. A "..." marks a cut in a quote and [brackets] an insertion.

Profile: [Irukandji Jellyfish](https://animaltracks.wiki/animals/irukandji-jellyfish/)

## Courtney, Browning & Seymour (2016). Early Life History of the 'Irukandji' Jellyfish Carukia barnesi. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0151197

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Open water around coral reefs and islands | the medusae stage is considered oceanic, planktonic, has been found around coral reefs or islands (note: stats.habitat) |
| off north-eastern Australia | they are present along the north-eastern coast of Australia from Lizard Island to Fraser Island (note: stats.habitat) |
| A 2016 study says the bell height reaches up to 35 millimetres | Carukia barnesi is a small species in the family Carukiidae with a bell height of up to 35 mm |
| the tentacles up to 1.2 metres | tentacles up to 1.2 m long (note: The 2015 study gives up to 750 mm; the body attributes 1.2 m to the 2016 study only. ADW's '50 to 500 nm' is a unit slip and is not used.) |
| The medusa, the free-swimming jellyfish stage, is present in north Queensland waters between November and May. | This species is present in north Queensland waters between November and May (note: 'the free-swimming jellyfish stage' glosses medusa; juveniles are medusae too, so not 'adult') |
| It is present along the north-eastern coast of Australia from Lizard Island to Fraser Island. | they are present along the north-eastern coast of Australia from Lizard Island to Fraser Island |
| The medusa is considered oceanic and planktonic, and has been found around coral reefs or islands. | the medusae stage is considered oceanic, planktonic, has been found around coral reefs or islands |
| In a lab study, most fertilised eggs developed into larvae called planulae that paused for between six days and six months before hatching. | most eggs developed to an encapsulated planula stage and then paused for between six days and six months prior to hatching as ciliated planulae (note: 'most eggs' in the source; planula glossed as larva) |
| In the same study, the hatched larvae settled and turned into polyps. | eventually settled and metamorphosed into primary polyps |
| Mature polyps budded off swimming polyps from their sides. | Mature polyps reproduced through asexual reproduction via lateral budding producing ciliated swimming polyps (note: 'from their sides' glosses lateral) |
| A polyp that made a medusa was left behind, still able to reproduce asexually. | Medusae production for this species was in the form of monodisc strobilation, which left behind polyps able to continue asexual reproduction. |
| A newly detached lab medusa had a bell height of 0.33 to 0.80 millimetres. | detached medusae were positively phototactic, congregated on the surface of the containers, and had a bell height that ranged between 0.33 to 0.80 mm |

## Courtney et al. (2015). Prey Capture Ecology of the Cubozoan Carukia barnesi. PLOS ONE.

https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0124256

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A box jellyfish that fishes for larval fish by twitching its tentacles like lures. | during light conditions, this species extends its tentacles and 'twitches' them frequently. This highlights the lure-like nematocyst clusters in the water column, which actively attract larval fish that are consequently stung and consumed. (note: tagline) |
| Crustaceans when young | Juvenile C. barnesi feed predominantly on crustaceans (note: stats.diet) |
| larval fish as an adult | Adult Carukia barnesi medusae feed predominantly on larval fish (note: stats.diet) |
| Twitches its tentacles like fishing lures to draw in larval fish | this species extends its tentacles and 'twitches' them frequently. This highlights the lure-like nematocyst clusters in the water column, which actively attract larval fish (note: stats.superpower) |
| *Carukia barnesi* is a small box jellyfish. | Carukia barnesi is a small (approximately 20 mm bell-width), oceanic, planktonic Carybdeid |
| A 2015 study gives its bell, the jelly body, as approximately 20 millimetres wide. | Carukia barnesi is a small (approximately 20 mm bell-width) (note: 'bell-width' read as the width of the bell; 'the jelly body' is a gloss) |
| Four tentacles hang from the four corners of the bell. | This species has four tentacles in total and each extends from a pedalia attached to each corner of the bell. |
| Each carries clusters of stinging cells in an alternating pattern of large and small. | tentacles ... have an alternating pattern of large and small nematocyst clusters (note: nematocyst = stinging cell) |
| Adults use those clusters as bait. | this species extends its tentacles and 'twitches' them frequently. This highlights the lure-like nematocyst clusters in the water column, which actively attract larval fish |
| In a tank, in light, the jellyfish extends its tentacles and twitches them. | during light conditions, this species extends its tentacles and 'twitches' them frequently |
| The average twitch rate in the light was 6.3 twitches per minute, and no twitching was recorded in the dark. | The average twitch rate during the light was 6.3 twitches per minute however no twitching was recorded during the dark. |
| Larger animals twitched their tentacles more often than small ones. | larger animals 'twitch' their tentacles more frequently than small specimens |
| The clusters attract larval fish, which are then stung and eaten. | actively attract larval fish that are consequently stung and consumed |
| It has four sets of six eyes, which is typical among cubozoans, the box jellyfish group. | Carukia barnesi have four sets of six 'eyes', which is typical among Cubozoans |
| One pair in each set are complex eyes with a cornea, a lens and a retina, though how sharply they see, and what they are used for, is unknown. | a pair of complex eyes that each has a cornea, a lens, and a retina [ 24 , 29 , 36 , 37 ]. However, the acuity and use of these eyes is unknown. (note: 'how sharply they see' glosses acuity) |
| Young jellyfish feed predominantly on crustaceans. | Juvenile C. barnesi feed predominantly on crustaceans |
| Adults feed predominantly on larval fish. | Adult Carukia barnesi medusae feed predominantly on larval fish |
| In light, the jellyfish twitches its tentacles about 6.3 times a minute | The average twitch rate during the light was 6.3 twitches per minute (note: vibe.reason) |
| showing off lure-like clusters of stinging cells that attract larval fish | This highlights the lure-like nematocyst clusters in the water column, which actively attract larval fish (note: vibe.reason) |

## Pereira et al. (2010). Intracerebral hemorrhage and death after envenoming by the jellyfish Carukia barnesi. Clinical Toxicology.

https://doi.org/10.3109/15563651003662675

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| A 2010 case report describes the death of a healthy 44-year-old man stung while swimming in north-eastern Australia. | A 44-year-old healthy male was stung while swimming in NE Australia. ... This is the first case of a death because of Irukandji syndrome (note: abstract only (publisher 403)) |
| He developed Irukandji syndrome, then a bleed inside the brain. | He rapidly developed Irukandji syndrome. He had a rapid deterioration in conscious level because of an intracerebral hemorrhage. |
| The authors call it the first death from the syndrome where Carukia barnesi was shown to be the cause. | This is the first case of a death because of Irukandji syndrome where the jellyfish Carukia barnesi has been demonstrated to the causative creature. |

## Huynh et al. (2003). Severity of Irukandji syndrome and nematocyst identification from skin scrapings. Medical Journal of Australia.

https://doi.org/10.5694/j.1326-5377.2003.tb05041.x

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Cairns Base Hospital records for the year from July 2001 to June 2002 showed 128 patients with marine stings, and 116 of them had Irukandji syndrome. | A retrospective case series of 128 patients, identified from Cairns Base Hospital emergency department records with discharge diagnoses of marine stings between 1 July 2001 and 30 June 2002. ... 116 patients retrospectively identified with marine stings had Irukandji syndrome. (note: abstract only (publisher 403)) |
| Skin scrapings from 50 patients were checked, and 39 held stinging cells consistent with Carukia barnesi. | Of 50 patients who had skin scrapings, 39 had nematocysts consistent with Carukia barnesi. |

## Underwood & Seymour (2007). Venom ontogeny, diet and morphology in Carukia barnesi, a species of Australian box jellyfish that causes Irukandji syndrome. Toxicon.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2007.01.014

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| In one study, tentacle venom from young and mature animals showed different protein bands. | Sodium dodecyl sulphate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis revealed differences in protein banding of tentacular venom between immature and mature animals. |
| The authors link that to the shift from invertebrate prey in young jellyfish to vertebrate prey in mature ones. | This correlates to a change in diet from invertebrate prey in immature C. barnesi medusae to vertebrate prey in mature medusae. |

## Tibballs et al. (2012). Australian carybdeid jellyfish causing 'Irukandji syndrome'. Toxicon.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxicon.2012.01.006

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Irukandji syndrome is linked to this jellyfish, and other small Australian box jellyfish may be linked to it too. | The Australian carybdeid jellyfish associated with Irukandji syndrome is Carukia barnesi, (Barnes' jellyfish). Other Australian carybdeid jellyfish that may be associated with the syndrome include Carukia shinju (note: carybdeid glossed as box jellyfish; 'may be associated' kept as 'may be linked') |
| The sting behind it is characteristically relatively minor. | The syndromic illness, resulting from a characteristic relatively minor sting (note: syndrome-scoped, as in the source) |
| The syndrome develops after about 30 minutes and consists of severe muscle pains, especially of the lower back, muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, agitation and high blood pressure. | develops after about 30 minutes and consists of severe muscle pains especially of the lower back, muscle cramps, vomiting, sweating, agitation, vasoconstriction, prostration, hypertension (note: 'high blood pressure' glosses hypertension; the source's vasoconstriction and prostration are left out) |
| In severe cases there can be acute heart failure. | in cases of severe envenomation, acute heart failure |

## Ramasamy et al. (2005). The in vivo cardiovascular effects of the Irukandji jellyfish (Carukia barnesi) nematocyst venom and a tentacle extract in rats. Toxicology Letters.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.toxlet.2004.09.004

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Envenoming by *C. barnesi* may produce life-threatening Irukandji syndrome. | Envenoming by Carukia barnesi may produce life-threatening Irukandji syndrome. |

## Carukia barnesi. Animal Diversity Web, University of Michigan.

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Carukia_barnesi/

| The page says | The source says |
| :--- | :--- |
| Not Evaluated | has not been given special conservation status. ... IUCN Red List Not Evaluated (note: stats.conservationStatus. The prefetch (2026-10-11) found no Red List assessment DOI: GBIF holds no category for Carukia barnesi, so no IUCN reference is cited. ADW lists the species as Not Evaluated (page last updated 2012).) |