[Coral-List] sea wasps [SEC=UNCLASSIFIED]

[Shelley Anthony]

Hi Megan,
 When I was at Lee Stocking Island (many years ago), we used to see 
really large schools in the summer during night dives or occasionally 
around the dock. They school up like that after the full moon to spawn 
and I remember they would hover just under the surface at night. One of 
my friends got stung by some (swam up through a school after doing his 
deco stop), and while he said it was pretty painful, he didn't have a 
serious physiological reaction, just some nasty red welts that went away 
after a time. They're not nearly as venomous as the box jellies over 
here, but they are still potentially dangerous. But I admit that after 
my friend got stung, from then on I always made everyone shine their 
flashlights into the water during night dives to check before I made a 
roll-back entry...and still do.
Cheers,
Shelley

megan berkle wrote, On 17/07/2007 23:11:
>    Dear coral-listers:
>
>    I  am  working  in San Salvador Island, Bahamas for the summer.  I was
>    night snorkelling on dump reef situated in Graham's harbor (north part
>    of  the  island).   I was waiting for the soft corals to spawn until I
>    noticed  a  swarm  of  what  appeared to be sea wasps.  I thought this
>    might  be  an  isolated  instance.   However, while diving in Rice Bay
>    (north part of the island) I realized the entire bottom of the bay was
>    covered  with  100's  of  sea  wasps.  They seem to be concentrated in
>    shallow  water  (~10  feet)  right above the sandy areas.  Does anyone
>    know  if  these  sea wasps are often seen in large numbers in Bahamian
>    waters?  Are they as toxic as those found in the Indo-Pacific?
>
>    Megan Berkle
>      _________________________________________________________________
>
>    [1]See what youre getting intobefore you go there 
>
> References
>
>    1. http://g.msn.com/8HMAENUS/2749??PS=47575
> _______________________________________________
> Coral-List mailing list
> Coral-List at coral.aoml.noaa.gov
> http://coral.aoml.noaa.gov/mailman/listinfo/coral-list
>   

-- 
Shelley L. Anthony, M.Sc.

Biological Operations Manager
Reef HQ Aquarium
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority
2-68 Flinders St.
PO Box 1379
Townsville QLD 4810  AUSTRALIA

Ph: +61(07)4750-0876
Fax: +61(07)4772-5281
email:  s.anthony at gbrmpa.gov.au

PhD Student
ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies
School of Marine and Tropical Biology
James Cook University
Townsville QLD 4811 AUSTRALIA
shelley.anthony at jcu.edu.au

==============================================================================
If you have received this transmission in error please notify us immediately
by return email and delete all copies. Any unauthorised use, disclosure or
distribution of this email is prohibited.
==============================================================================