Sea wasp

Chiropsalmus quadrumanus

Family Chiropsalmidae - jellyfishes

Distinguishing
Characteristics
Bell gelatinous, about the size of a fist, cube-shaped, flat on top, transparent; 4 muscular, hand-shaped fleshy pads (pedalia) hang from bottom of the bell, each with 7-9 fingers; each finger gives rise to a long (3-4 m or 9.8 to 13 ft), stinging tentacle; wart-like stinging bumps on the bell.
Similar Species
Box jellies are easy to distinguish from other jellies by their cube-shaped bell and the 4 pedalia (group of fleshy finger-like pads) that hang down from the bottom of the bell. Sea wasps differ from other box jellies found in the Gulf of Mexico by having only 1 tentacle per extensions ("fingers") of their pedalia. Other box jellies have multiple tentacles from each extension.
Habitat
Gulf and bay, open waters
Maximum Size
15 cm (6 in) width and height of bell
Other Common Names
box jellyfish, four-handed box jellyfish
Previous Scientific Names
Comments
Extremely venomous, has been known to kill people within minutes of being stung.