diversity Article New Records of Cubozoan and Scyphozoan Jellyfish from Sabah Waters, Malaysia Chee Hoe Chuan , Balu Alagar Venmathi Maran * , Tzuen Kiat Yap , Kai Ching Cheong , Muhammad Ali Syed Hussein and Ejria Saleh Borneo Marine Research Institute, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Jalan UMS, Kota Kinabalu 88400, Sabah, Malaysia; [email protected] (C.H.C.); [email protected] (T.K.Y.); [email protected] (K.C.C.); [email protected] (M.A.S.H.); [email protected] (E.S.) * Correspondence: [email protected] Abstract: Jellyfish play a vital role in the ocean’s ecosystem, acting as a nursery for young fishes, crabs, and brittle stars, as well as a source of food for certain charismatic megafauna, such as sunfish and sea turtles. They also pose a threat to human activities, with jellyfish blooms negatively impacting fisheries, power generation, and tourism. However, very little information is available on the biodiversity of jellyfish within the waters of Borneo. Here, we present new records of jellyfish found along the coast of Sabah, Malaysia, located in northern Borneo, bordering the megadiverse region of the Coral Triangle. A total of six species belonging to two classes and six families hitherto not recorded to the state are reported, Chironex yamaguchii, Acromitus maculosus, Crambione mastigophora, Linuche aquila, Netrostoma sp., and Phyllorhiza punctata. Of these, two species (C. yamaguchii and L. aquila) are harmful to humans, with C. yamaguchii capable of causing human fatalities. Reports Citation: Chuan, C.H.; Venmathi of harmful jellyfish are useful to the medical and tourism industry, as some of these species may Maran, B.A.; Yap, T.K.; Cheong, K.C.; inflict stings and adverse reactions to humans ranging from rashes and skin irritation to fatal Syed Hussein, M.A.; Saleh, E. New envenomation. A checklist has also been provided for all collected jellyfish species from Sabah waters Records of Cubozoan and of Borneo, Malaysia. Scyphozoan Jellyfish from Sabah Waters, Malaysia. Diversity 2021, 13, Keywords: jellyfish; biodiversity; harmful jellyfish; Chironex; Linuche; new record; Sabah; Malaysia 420. https://doi.org/10.3390/ d13090420 Academic Editors: Michael Wink, 1. Introduction Wonchoel Lee and Bum Soo Park Jellyfish play an important part in the ocean’s ecosystems, not only acting as inter- mediary predators, which distribute the energy within the same trophic level of the food Received: 20 June 2021 chain [1], but also providing a shelter for juveniles of various species in a complex rela- Accepted: 20 August 2021 Published: 31 August 2021 tionship, which involves transport, a source of food, and protection from predators [2–4]. Despite this, they are still relatively understudied in Malaysia, with limited documentation Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral of species diversity in the nation’s waters. Indeed, thus far, there has only been limited with regard to jurisdictional claims in research on jellyfish in the waters around Malaysia, with even less focusing on the island of published maps and institutional affil- Borneo [5–7]. Additionally, given that the area borders the Coral Triangle, one of the most iations. biologically diverse regions of the world, on its eastern side, there exists a high possibility of previously unreported species of jellyfish within the region, either new to science or otherwise known from other localities. Jellyfish have also been shown in recent years to be of increasing importance to human activities in the coastal regions. They have been implicated in causing losses to the Copyright: © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. marine fisheries and aquaculture sectors [8] via a number of causes. Those causes include This article is an open access article clogging and damaging various types of fishing nets [8], jellyfish fragments and stinging distributed under the terms and mucus directly reducing the quality [8,9] and quantity of fish catch, and also through the conditions of the Creative Commons domination of the ecosystem of an area (competition for space and preying on fish eggs and Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// juveniles, leading to reduced finfish recruitment) [8,10]. In marine aquaculture, jellyfish creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ clog up nets, preventing the exchange of water and gases, and directly impact the health of 4.0/). the fish via stings, causing inflammation and secondary bacterial infection, which may lead Diversity 2021, 13, 420. https://doi.org/10.3390/d13090420 https://www.mdpi.com/journal/diversity Diversity 2021, 13, 420 2 of 12 to other health complications [8]. Despite this, some jellyfish species contribute to fisheries in at least 23 countries globally, Malaysia included [11,12], as fresh, semi-dried, and dried commodities. Commercial jellyfish fisheries comprise a small but significant portion of landings in the region, with species such as Lobonemoides robustus, Rhopilema esculentum, and Crambione mastigophora being commonly taken in the region for processing [12]. The jellyfish fisheries sector contributed an estimated 20,253 tonnes of capture to Malaysia’s capture fisheries in 2019 (FAO, 2021) [13], where jellyfish are taken for local consumption as well as export to countries such as Japan and China. Meanwhile, jellyfish have also caused interruptions and damage to the power generation sector. Numerous incidents, mostly involving the scyphozoan Aurelia aurita (Linnaeus, 1758), have caused numerous power plant disruptions in Asia, Arabia, and America, when jellyfish blooms clog up the saltwater intakes of the plant, damaging the rotary screens and either causing a reduction in power output or shutting down power generation completely [14–16]. However, arguably, the most well-known impact of jellyfish in the eye of the general public is the impact it has on tourism and human health. Jellyfish stings are a common incidence in many coastal areas of the world where tourism activities occur. In Israel, jellyfish stings contribute to an estimated EUR 6.3 million per annum in losses due to mass outbreaks of Rhopilema nomadica Galil, Spanier & Ferguson, 1990 [17]. Meanwhile, direct envenomation caused by jellyfish is a major cost to the operations of tourism and leisure in northern Australia, where the deadly box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri Southcott, 1956) and other species capable of causing death and hospitalisation due to Irukandji syndrome are present in the waters where tourists frequent [16]. This risk is especially prevalent in Sabah, where tourism makes up the third largest economical sector, after agriculture and manufacturing. The sector contributed as much as RM 8.3 billion (USD 1.96 billion) or 8.2% to the state’s gross domestic product (GDP) in 2018 [18]. These threats from jellyfish are also present in Malaysia and the surrounding regions, with fatalities and serious envenomations recorded in the area. To date, fatalities attributed to jellyfish stings in Malaysia suggest the presence of a yet undescribed chirodropid jellyfish species [19]. However, without proper identification and studies performed in the area, the identity of this species has not been ascertained. This is of importance to public health, as proper identification of the jellyfish species responsible for a sting event will help expedite the first aid process and help ensure proper treatment of the sting victim. 2. Materials and Methods Jellyfish samples were collected from 3 different locations around the western and northern coasts of Sabah during the blooming seasons of 2018–2020 (Table1). The samples on the western coast were collected from the UMS Jetty and Tanjung Aru Beach, while the samples from the northern coast were collected from the northernmost tip of mainland Borneo, Simpang Mengayau, Kudat. Live specimens were collected by scooping them out of the water using buckets and hand ladles to preserve as much of the specimen as possible without damaging them. Meanwhile, dead samples were simply collected from the beach where they were stranded, selecting those in good condition, preferably submerged in the water to prevent deformation and drying from exposure. Photographs of the jellyfish were taken immediately after their collection in order to capture their life colouration before their preservation in 4% formalin in seawater before refrigeration at 7 ◦C. All specimens are deposited in the Borneo Marine Research Institute’s Repository & Museum, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu. Diversity 2021, 13, 420 3 of 12 Table 1. Species and locations of jellyfish collected in the Sabah waters with the date and depository number. Species Location with Coordinates Date of Collection Depository Number Chironex yamaguchii UMS Jetty, Kota Kinabalu (6.0409◦ N, 116.1091◦ E) 14 February 2020 IPMB-C 01.00080 Acromitus maculosus Kota Kinabalu (6.0409◦ N, 116.1091◦ E) 12 April 2018 IPMB-C 01.00081 Crambione mastigophora Tanjung Aru beach, Kota Kinabalu (5.948735◦ N, 116.045002◦ E) 5 March 2020 IPMB-C 01.00082 Linuche aquila Simpang Mengayau, Kudat (7.037419◦ N, 116.741441◦ E) 20 May 2019 IPMB-C 04.00122 Netrostoma sp. UMS Jetty, Kota Kinabalu (6.0409◦ N, 116.1091◦ E) 12 March 2020 IPMB-C 01.00083 Phyllorhiza punctata Kota Kinabalu (6.0409◦ N, 116.1091◦ E) 27 April 2018 IPMB-C 01.00084 Additionally, 2 species of jellyfish were identified during sampling trips in the coastal waters of Kota Kinabalu. Photos of the specimens were taken while the jellyfish were still alive. 3. Results A total of six jellyfish species from six genera were collected and identified. The species were Chironex yamaguchii Lewis