Mawia is a genus of jellyfish in the family Pelagiidae. It is a monotypic genus with the sole species Mawia benovici.[1] The team who discovered this jellyfish named it benovici after a late colleague, Adam Benovic.[2][3] Originally belonging to the genus Pelagia, it was later moved into its own genus, which was named after the Arab warrior-queen Mavia.[4] Although described based on specimens from the Adriatic Sea, a part of the Mediterranean, it was speculated that these might be transplants (via ballast water) rather than a part of its natural range.[2] A later study found specimens in Senegal, indicating that its natural range possibly is the Atlantic Ocean off West Africa.[5]
This is the first recorded find of M. Benovici in the Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea.
A view from below reveals gonads of yellow color, which means that the jellyfish is male.
^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. doi:10.1071/IS1601