Species

Copula sivickisi is a small box jelly that occurs in north Queensland. It looks like the closely related Irukandji jellies but has only a mild sting and is not dangerous. Copula catches zooplankton at night, while during the day it uses adhesive pads to attach to seaweed. Males and females of the species can be identified based on different colour patterns, with females being covered in orange spots.

While most sea jellies spawn into the water, Copula has a courtship called the ‘wedding dance’. The male attaches to the female, tentacle to tentacle, and he pulls her closer so he can pass her a parcel of sperm.