New species of Portuguese man o’ war discovered in the Tasman Sea

A new species of Portuguese man o’ war, or bluebottle, has been identified in the waters between Australia and New Zealand, following an analysis of the animals’ genetic diversity across the world.

Bluebottles are colonial organisms with long stingers attached to a blue gas-filled float. They are made up of smaller units called zooids, which are genetically identical but have different roles, such as digestion, reproduction and feeding.

In the late 18th…