The scientists have discovered a brand new species of Medusae, a type of free-swimming umbrella-shaped jellyfish, in the ocean waters south of Tokyo, Japan. The sea creature was first spotted in 2002 in a deep-sea volcanic structure and is distinguished by a bright red “X” on its stomach. The researchers named this marine animal “Santjordia pagesi” after the Cross of St. George because of the striking X, with the “pagesi” suffix in honor of the late Dr. Francesc Pagès, a jellyfish taxonomist. According to scientist André Morandini, this species is very different from all the deep-sea medusae discovered to date, as it is relatively small, whereas others in this kind of environment are much larger. The S. Pagesi, which has 240 tentacles, was first spotted and collected off Japan’s Ogasawara Islands over twenty years ago with a remote-operated vehicle, the only way to research the inhospitable waters. In 2020, scientists spotted another specimen of the X-marked marine animal in the same area, but were unable to collect it. Although the discovery of a new species usually requires the collection of more than one creature, this Medusae was given a name and description based on the capture of just one given its rarity. Scientist Morandini explained that “we opted to publish the description and call attention to the species that are present at the site, which has a substrate rich in minerals and the potential to be commercially developed.”
