Portuguese galley
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Portuguese galley ( Physalia physalis ) |
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| ( Linnaeus , 1758) |
The Portuguese galley ( Physalia physalis ), engl. Atlantic Portuguese man o 'war , also floating terror , is a species from the genus of sea bubbles ( Physalia ), which belongs to the state jellyfish ( Siphonophorae ). In a broader sense, closely related species from the same genus as Physalia utriculus are sometimes referred to as the Portuguese galley. The most widespread and in the narrower sense meant species, however, is Physalia physalis .
Structure of the animal
The appearance of the Portuguese galley is very similar to a jellyfish , but it actually consists of an entire colony of interdependent polyps . A large number of polyps joined together, the individual animals of which gradually specialized in certain tasks such as food intake, reproduction, defense or the formation of catch threads. This ultimately led to the fact that the individuals are no longer viable individually, but are dependent on association with other polyps.
Occurrence
The Portuguese galley is a typical type of pleustone , the organisms that float on the surface of the water and drift with the wind. It is found primarily in the Pacific , but also off the Canary Islands and Portugal . It is also widespread in the Caribbean, for example off the coast of Cuba.
At the beginning of May 2009, specimens appeared on the coasts off the Spanish Balearic islands of Mallorca and Formentera for the first time in a decade. The islanders also call this "Carabela portuguesa" "Botella azul" (English: blue bottle). In 2001, June 2010 and May 2018 there were also sightings in the island archipelago of Malta. In August 2010, an increased occurrence of the Portuguese galley was observed on the northern Spanish Atlantic coast in the Basque Country and Cantabria . In April 2018, several specimens were spotted on Migjorn beach (south coast) of Formentera and Migjorn beach in Formentera was closed to swimmers. Portuguese galleys were spotted off Kerry in Ireland in October 2019 .
The main reasons for the increased occurrence of the Portuguese galley are, on the one hand, the overfishing of the tuna , the rise in temperature in the oceans and a greater supply of food due to over-fertilization, which leads to increased algae growth.
Copyspace on the beach
Swim bladder
Physalia utriculus
warning sign
Appearance and distinguishing features
The bluish shimmering sack-shaped gas bubble ( pneumatophore ) measuring up to 30 cm provides buoyancy. It is filled with air depleted to 15 percent oxygen with a variable proportion of 0.5% –13% carbon monoxide , which the state jellyfish can produce itself in a "gas gland" from the alpha-amino acid L- serine . In case of danger, the animal can submerge within seconds. The comb-like sail is only raised when there is wind, otherwise the Portuguese galley would dry out. During the drift she swings right and left again and again to keep herself moist. By controlling her tentacles, she can maneuver just enough that her large formations of several thousand copies stay together. The numerous blue, white or red-violet tentacles are up to 50 meters long.
The Physalia utriculus is smaller. The gas bubble measures about 3 to 15 cm, the tentacles can reach a length of 10 m.
Poison
On the tentacles there are up to 1000 nettle cells per centimeter, which contain a poisonous mixture of different proteins . This acts directly on the nerve cells when it comes into contact with the skin , where it leads to overexcitation. The poison can kill smaller fish and other prey. The nettle causes severe pain in humans. Contact with the tentacles leaves red wheals on the skin , reminiscent of a lash . The wheals only go away after two or three days, the pain subsides after about an hour. However, the venom can also reach the lymph nodes , where it causes even greater pain. On the coast of Australia alone, up to 10,000 people burn themselves annually on Portuguese galleys and closely related species of jellyfish.
A healthy adult can survive "burns" from the jellyfish without endangering their lives. Weak people or allergy sufferers are at risk of allergic shock , which can be fatal. Deaths are extremely rare and in some cases can be attributed to contact with a much more dangerous sea wasp. Medical counselors recommend consulting a doctor if the pain is severe or persistent, the wounds worsen, if symptoms of illness or inflammation occur.
Torn off tentacles still contain stinging cells. The nettle cells remain active and dangerous for several days when jellyfish wash up on the beach.
Medical advisors also recommend that the stitches should never be washed out with vinegar or fresh water, but with salt water and the remains of the tentacles should be carefully removed. The tentacles should not be touched because they can continue to sting. Hot water over 45 ° C denatures the proteins of the poison . It is treated with zinc gluconate .
Enemies and symbiotes
Despite its nettle venom, the Portuguese galley has a few enemies. These include the loggerhead sea turtle ( Caretta caretta ), the nudibranch pelagic snail Glaucus atlanticus and the violet snail ( Janthina janthina ). Also sunfish ( Mola mola ) eat Portuguese galleys. The shepherd's fish or jellyfish ( Nomeus gronovii ) is partially immune to the poison of the Portuguese galley. It lives between their tentacles, avoiding the larger ones and eating the smaller ones below the gas bubble. It may also attract other fish that serve the jellyfish as food, which would be tantamount to a symbiosis . The Trevally ( Carangoides Bartholomew ), Eng. Yellow Jack , a moderately popular food fish that can itself be poisonous ( Ciguatera -Toxin), often lives as a symbiote around the West Indies between schools of the Portuguese galley.
Web links
- Portuguese galley on youtube.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article from El Mundo issue May 7, 2009
- ↑ Article in Ultima Hora edition: 3782 of May 9, 2009
- ↑ Article in the Times of Malta
- ↑ Times of Malta, May 22, 2018
- ↑ Frankfurter Rundschau from 14./15. August 2010, p. 47
- ↑ Detectadas varias carabelas portuguesas en es Torrent y Formentera. Retrieved June 9, 2020 .
- ↑ Cerrada al baño la playa de ses Salines tras detectar carabelas portuguesas In: diariodeibiza.es of April 14, 2018, accessed on the same day.
- ↑ radio kerry news: Caution urged Following reports of Portuguese Man O'War on Kerry beaches. In: Radio Kerry. October 10, 2019, accessed October 14, 2019 (UK English).
- ↑ Sylviane Chassot: The jellyfish that we called | NZZ . In: Neue Zürcher Zeitung . ( nzz.ch [accessed June 9, 2020]).
- ↑ http://eol.org/pages/1005764/details
- ^ ZEIT reports from research . In: The time . No. 02/1965 ( online ).
- ↑ Portuguese Galley, National Geographic Society
- ^ Bernhard Werner: Tribe Cnidaria . In: Textbook of Special Zoology. Volume I: Invertebrates Part 2: Cnidaria, Ctenophora, Mesozoa, Plathelminthes, Nemertini, Entoprocta, Nemathelminthes, Priapulida. 4th completely revised edition, pp. 11–305, Gustav Fischer Verlag, Stuttgart 1984, ISBN 3-437-20261-8
- ↑ NDR health advice on jellyfish ( memento from March 6, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (accessed on November 11, 2012)
- ↑ First aid when diving in La Palma
- ↑ Portuguese galley: What to do if it "stings"? . In: Mallorca Magazin , Mallorca, May 25, 2018
