Thousands of yellow jellyfish were spotted in the northern Adriatic Sea last year and soon disappeared, scientists say.
Italian scientists confidently claim that they have discovered a new species of jellyfish in the Gulf of Venice. Ferdinando Boero, a zoologist, confirmed that last year, residents of Venice noticed yellow jellyfish in the Adriatic. “They said that this type of jellyfish is not listed in any known classification of these creatures of nature. There were thousands of them. Fishermen found them in their nets. They could not fish freely because of the huge influx of jellyfish, ”recalls Boero, who teaches zoology at the University of Salento (www.unisalento.it).
A number of scientists, including Boero, carefully checked all types of jellyfish and came to the conclusion that the new creatures that filled the Gulf of Venice are not known to science.
“This is a new species,” says the zoologist. He and his team decided to name the yellow jellyfish "Pelagia benovici" in honor of the recently deceased colleague Adam Benovic. Scientists have noticed that the jellyfish found have much in common with the variety of their relatives of the species “Pelagia noctiluca”, the pink-purple inhabitants of the seas, known for their huge tentacles. It is worth noting that this representative of this species in 2007 attacked a fish farm in Ireland, which specialized in salmon farming. Millions of small jellyfish literally covered an area of 16 square kilometers, penetrating to a depth of 10 meters. According to biologists, about 100 thousand fish died from the invasion of jellyfish, which caused farm owners losses of $ 2 million.
But is Pelagia benovici worth the fear? Are they as dangerous as their brethren? “We don’t know for sure, now studies are being conducted to answer the question“ What did we find? ”Says Boeraud. “In the future we plan even more research.” In the meantime, scientists can’t say anything specific, the new type of jellyfish that has penetrated the Strait of Venice remains a mystery to everyone. Some experts in the field of zoology suggest that they could get into the Adriatic Sea from the ocean along with ships arriving at the lagoon. In the 1980s, the Mnemipiopsis leidyi jellyfish variety, which is dotted with the Black Sea, got there with ballast water, which merchant ships dump. The appearance of these jellyfish has an extremely negative effect on the local fish population.
So far, a group of scientists who are engaged in research of a new species do not receive new messages about the return of guests to the Gulf of Venice. Judging by eyewitnesses, the last time jellyfish unknown to science were spotted in the Adriatic Sea in March, but later they disappeared without a trace. However, Boero and his team, it would seem, are not very disappointed. “Jellyfish have a chaotic appearance. Millions can be in one place, and then disappear, but then come back again, ”the zoologist explains.
