A groundbreaking study published in the January 2025 issue of the Regional Studies in Marine Science has confirmed the presence of the deadly Chironex yamaguchii box jellyfish in the Philippines' Coral Triangle region, alongside its distribution and genetic diversity in Okinawa, Japan. Led by Dr. Sheldon Rey Boco from The Philippine Jellyfish Stings Project and Griffith University in Queensland, Australia, the study is based on specimens collected in the central Philippines in 2016 and 2019—six in 2016 and 14 in 2019—confirming the presence of one of the world’s most venomous jellyfish species. Boco, alongside a team of researchers from Griffith University and several Filipino institutions, including the University of the Philippines Diliman and Samar State University, conducted physical and genetic analyses of the jellyfish.

De Vera-Ruiz, E. (2025, February 18). Study confirms presence of deadly box jellyfish in the PH Coral Triangle. Manila Bulletin, p. 5.