A newly discovered species of jellyfish is in the same family as the most venomous marine creature in the world, scientists have found.
The previously unknown creature, which carries a highly dangerous sting, was discovered in a muddy pond by scientists at Hong Kong's Mai Po Reserve.
It has three tentacles, a transparent body less than an inch long and, most distinctively, a total of 24 eyes separated into four groups of six.
These eyes all perform vital different functions and are located inside its sensory organs, according to researchers from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU).
While two of them have lenses that "enable image-forming", the other four appear only able to sense light.
Professor Qiu from the Department of Biology at HKBU explained: "Each group of six eyes is located inside a sensory depression called a rhopalium on each side of the bell.
"In each group of eyes, the researchers believe that two of them have lenses that enable image-forming, while the other four can only sense light."
Their tentacles also include a paddle-like end, which means the animal can swim away faster than most other types of jellyfish.
Its infamous cousin, the Australian box jellyfish, is thought to be the most venomous marine animal in the world.
A team of scientists led by Hong Kong Baptist University observed the jellyfish for three years, finding over that period that greater numbers were appearing in shrimp ponds at Mai Po Nature Reserve.
It has been named Tripedalia maipoensis - the second part of its name reflecting the nature reserve in which it was found.
While they have only been found so far within Mai Po, scientists believe the jellyfish could also be living in nearby waters along the Pearl River.
Professor Qiu said: “We named the new species Tripedalia maipoensis to reflect its type locality – where the new species was first found.
"Although it is currently known only in Mai Po, we believe that this species is also distributed in the adjacent waters of the Pearl River Estuary as the gei wais are connected to the estuary through a tidal channel.”
He added that box jellyfish are "poorly known" in Chinese waters, and this was the first time one had been found in the area.
The HKBU research team collaborated with WWF-Hong Kong, Ocean Park Hong Kong and the University of Manchester.
