''Mawia'' is a genus of

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

in the family

Pelagiidae The Pelagiidae are a family of jellyfish. Members of the family ''Pelagiidae'' have no ring canal, and the marginal tentacles arise from umbrella margin. Genera There are four genera currently recognized: *Genus '' Chrysaora'' – (14 species) ...

. It is a

monotypic genus In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...

with the sole species ''Mawia benovici''. The team who discovered this jellyfish named it ''benovici'' after a late colleague, Adam Benovic. Originally belonging to the genus ''Pelagia'', it was later moved into its own genus, which was named after the

Arab Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world. Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...

warrior-queen Mavia.Avian, M.; Ramšak, A.; Tirelli, V.; D'ambra, I.; Malej, A. (2016). Redescription of Pelagia benovici into a new jellyfish genus, Mawia, gen. nov., and its phylogenetic position within Pelagiidae (Cnidaria: Scyphozoa: Semaeostomeae). ''Invertebrate Systematics.'' 30(6), 523-546. Although described based on specimens from the

Adriatic Sea The Adriatic Sea () is a body of water separating the Italian Peninsula from the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula. The Adriatic is the northernmost arm of the Mediterranean Sea, extending from the Strait of Otranto (where it connects to the Ionian Se ...

, a part of the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

, it was speculated that these might be transplants (via

ballast water Ballast is weight placed low in ships to lower their centre of gravity, which increases stability (more technically, to provide a righting moment (physics), moment to resist any Heeling (sailing), heeling moment on the Hull (watercraft), hull). I ...

) rather than a part of its natural range. A later study found specimens in

Senegal Senegal, officially the Republic of Senegal, is the westernmost country in West Africa, situated on the Atlantic Ocean coastline. It borders Mauritania to Mauritania–Senegal border, the north, Mali to Mali–Senegal border, the east, Guinea t ...

, indicating that its natural range possibly is the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa. File:Mawia benovici PA238581.jpg, This is the first recorded find of ''M. Benovici'' in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea. File:Mawia benovici _DSC1588.jpg, A view from below reveals gonads of yellow color, which means that the jellyfish is male. File:Mawia benovici _DSC1613.jpg, A view of the top of the bell. File:Mawia benovici _DSC1604.jpg, Jellyfish and its reflection on the sea surface.

References

Pelagiidae Taxa described in 2014 Monotypic cnidarian genera Scyphozoan genera {{scyphozoa-stub