Thimble jellyfish Thimble jellyfish The thimble jellyfish ("Linuche unguiculata") is a species of cnidarian found in the neotropical Atlantic Ocean. It is a tiny jellyfish with a straight-sided, flat-topped bell. This jellyfish is the most common cause of seabather's eruption, a reaction caused by the injection of juvenile jellyfish nematocysts into human skin. The medusa of the thimble jellyfish has straight sides with sixteen grooves, and a flat top. The coronal groove between the top and sides provides flexibility. The margin of the bell has sixteen lappets (folds), the niches between these bearing alternately rhopalia (sense organs) and short tentacles (eight of
Jellyfish from mild discomfort to extreme pain and death. Most jellyfish stings are not deadly, but stings of some box jellyfish (Irukandji jellyfish), such as the sea wasp, can be deadly. Stings may cause anaphylaxis (a form of shock), which can be fatal. Jellyfish kill 20 to 40 people a year in the Philippines alone. In 2006 the Spanish Red Cross treated 19,000 stung swimmers along the Costa Brava. Vinegar (3–10% aqueous acetic acid) may help with box jellyfish stings, but not the stings of the Portuguese man o' war. Salt water may help if vinegar is unavailable. Rubbing wounds, or