While in Hawai'i, we walked some east-facing beaches to look for pelagic invertebrates washed ashore.
Above, a small Portuguese Man O' War (Physalia physalis) on Kaua'i on 4 April 2024.
Below, a Purple Sea Snail (Janthina umbilicata). (Interestingly, the Janthina we found on Kaua'i were quite a bit smaller than the Janthina we observed in California back in March.)
One of the beaches where these species were found:
Was this actually P. physalis, or could it have been P. utriculus?
ReplyDeleteHi, again,
DeleteThis is an update from 27 January 2026. The taxonomy of Physalia was updated in summer 2025. So this individual found in Hawai'i has been reinstated as Physalia utriculus.
More info at this link:
https://www.inaturalist.org/posts/113902-physalia-physalis-bluebottle-portuguese-man-o-war-split-into-four-species
Hi, Alan!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this question! Admittedly, I don't know all of the details about Physalia taxonomy. I was trying to put this post together last night when I encountered the question about the species name.
The website I use for taxonomic questions -- World Register of Marine Species -- has Physalia utriculus synonymized with Physalia physalis. So although this form (in the photo) might have a single long tentacle and used to be considered a separate species, it looks like it is now considered a form of one species. However, if you have additional info, please share! I'm learning as I go.
Thanks again!
:) Jackie
P.S. Here's the web page with the details about Physalia taxonomy:
https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=387269