Chiropsoides box jellyfish in Thailand

The most commonly found multi-tentacled box jellyfish in Thailand. Its sting is usually milder than Chironex but very painful. The two look almost identical, so first aid is the same as for a potentially deadly box jellyfish.

What it looks like

A transparent cube-shaped bell. At the corners are arms branched on one side like fingers of a hand; each finger carries one thin tentacle with cross-bands.

Size: Bell usually a few centimetres up to palm size; tentacles are many times longer than the bell.

Where and when in Thailand

Found almost year-round in the central and lower Gulf of Thailand and along the Andaman coast (Phuket, Krabi, Phang Nga, Satun, Ranong).

Gulf of Thailand · Andaman Sea · Most often: all year

The sting

Strong burning pain and redness, with tentacle marks on the skin. Severe whole-body reactions are not typical for this species, but large stings need a doctor.

First aid

📞 Emergency medical services in Thailand: 1669

Treat as any box jellyfish sting: leave the water, pour vinegar for at least 30 seconds, remove tentacles, do not rub and do not use fresh water. Use a cold pack for pain. Call 1669 if the person feels faint, has trouble breathing or the sting is large.

Lookalikes

Chironex — its tentacles grow in bundles from one fleshy arm rather than from branched fingers; impossible to tell apart by eye in the water. Morbakka has one tentacle per corner.

Did you know

• It is the only member of the family Chiropsalmidae recorded in Thai waters.
• Its tentacles show a repeating pattern of thick and thin cross-bands.
• Recent studies of its stinging cells help doctors tell its stings from those of Chironex.

Also called: Chiropsalmid box jellyfish, Multi-tentacled box jellyfish