Marine biologist Michael Dawson proposed that the golden jellyfish that inhabit Jellyfish Lake be classified as a subspecies ("Mastigias cf. papua etpisoni") of the spotted jellyfish living in the nearby lagoons. The species identification is uncertain (denoted by cf. in the name) because the "Mastigias papua" local to Palauan lagoons may be only one of several cryptic species that make up the "M. papua" group, and in the future, the "M. papua" local to Palau may be identified as a separate species from other "M. papua". He also proposed that the jellyfish living in four other Palauan marine lakes were distinctive enough to deserve recognition as unique subspecies.