''Malo kingi'' or the common kingslayer is a species of

Irukandji jellyfish The Irukandji jellyfish ( ) are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of rare jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3), they are both the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfish in th ...

. It was first described to science in 2007, and is one of four species in the genus ''

Malo Mal, which in Spanish means ''bad or evil'', may also refer to: Places * Malo, Italy, a town *Malo Island, formerly known as St. Bartholomew, Vanuatu * Malo (Solomon Islands), an island *Malo, Washington, Ferry County, Washington, United States * ...

''.Gershwin, L. (2007)
''Malo kingi'': A new species of Irukandji jellyfish (Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Carybdeida), possibly lethal to humans, from Queensland, Australia.
''Zootaxa'' 1659 55-68. It has one of the world's most potent

venom Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a st ...

s, even though it is no bigger than a human

thumbnail Thumbnails are reduced-size versions of pictures or videos, used to help in recognizing and organizing them, serving the same role for images as a normal text index does for words. In the age of digital images, visual search engines and imag ...

.''Malo kingi''.
Science Channel. As an Irukandji, it can cause

Irukandji syndrome Irukandji syndrome is a condition that results from envenomation by certain box jellyfish. In rare instances the sting may result in cardiac arrest and death. The most common jellyfish involved is the ''Carukia barnesi'', a species of Irukandji ...

, characterized by severe pain, vomiting, and rapid rise in blood pressure. It is named after victim Robert King, a tourist from the United States swimming off

Port Douglas, Queensland Port Douglas is a coastal town and locality in the Shire of Douglas, Queensland, Australia, approximately 60 km north of Cairns. In the , Port Douglas had a population of 3,504 people. The town's population can often double, however, with the ...

, who died from its sting.

Anatomy and appearance

''M. kingi'' are Irukandji jellyfish. They are sometimes halo banded, meaning they have halo-like rings encircling their tentacles. They are bell-shaped with light purple nematocyst warts. The bell is transparent, colourless and has a height of 31 mm. They also have a frown-shaped rhopaliar niche ostium, perradial lappets that have two rows of warts, palmate velarial canals, and two median lensed eyes. Their primary tentacular cnidae are club shaped. The rhopaliar horns are short, broad, and curved.

Range

''M. kingi'' are local to Queensland, Australia. A very small number of ''M. kingi'' are found during the year in late summer and early winter. Non-halo form ''M. kingi'' are found more often than the ones with a halo form.

Toxicity

''M. kingi'' are small and inconspicuous, but extremely venomous. This makes it hard for potential victims to see them before they are stung. The death of Robert King is the only proof of their venom being deadly. There have been other incidents of them stinging people. Lisa-Ann Gershwin, an Australian marine stinger advisor, was stung while studying ''M. kingi''. She was stung on both hands, which blistered badly. A week later several layers of her skin peeled off. According to Gershwin, a young girl was also stung and experienced nausea, severe pain, and discomfort. Since there have been different outcomes for people that have been stung, scientists believe that as a ''M. kingi'' matures its venom becomes stronger. They also believe that the non-halo forms may be less venomous.

Death of Robert King

In 2002 U.S. tourist Robert King went to Queensland, Australia. While snorkeling, he was stung by a ''M. kingi''. King died due to jellyfish sting-induced hypertension and intracranial hemorrhage. His death brought awareness of ''M. kingi'' and led to more research being done on them. The species was named in his honor.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2505985 Carukiidae Animals described in 2007 Fauna of Queensland