Singapore's New Box Jellyfish, Behind Death

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Map Singapore Sentosa new chironex box jellyfish

Blakang mati, or behind death, is the original Malay name for Singapore's Sentosa Island, and now the rather ominous new name for a recently discovered species of deadly Chironex box jellyfish.

Singapore's first, the planet's fourth.

Blakangmati, joins the can-kill list of extremely dangerous Chironex species, ranging from tropical Australia's infamous Fleckerii and the Japan-Philippines' region's Yamaguchii, to the relative newcomer Indrasaksajiae, that calls Thailand and surrounding areas, including Singapore, home.

Morphology Singapore Sentosa new chironex box jellyfish
Researchers at Tohoku University and the National University of Singapore determined through morphological analysis that it is genetically different to Yamaguchii, and it also has a slight anatomical difference, making it a completely new species that packs the same punch as its Chironex cousins.

Singapore's New Chironex Species

Box Jellyfish Description

What To Do If Stung

The findings were published 15 May, 2026 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology.

Comments

  1. AnonymousJune 28, 2026 at 2:12 PM

    What appears to be a chironex box jellyfish has caused serious stings in fiji recently. There is a picture of the species stranded at the beach: https://fijisun.com.fj/living/health/box-jellyfish-sting-triggers-emergency-airlift-to-suva

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  2. Blog BoxieJuly 2, 2026 at 11:50 PM

    That is without doubt a potentially lethal Chironex box jellyfish. But, the photo is supplied by the ABC and it needs to be confirmed as the Fiji jellyfish in question or a stock archive image. Don't know much about it, but if there are deadly jellyfish in Fiji, it seems to be a recent phenomenon. Stay tuned!

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