Jellyfish Expert: Biodiversity & Genomics
In a rare marine encounter, researchers in Japan have uncovered a previously unidentified species of Portuguese man-of-war, Physalia mikazuki, off the coast of northeastern Japan. This marks the first time such a venomous jellyfish has been documented so far north in the country, with experts tying its arrival to warmer waters and changing currents.
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A new species of Portuguese man o’ war has been discovered floating in the waters of northeast Japan. Spotted by a student-led research group, the discovery marks a species that has never been seen before in the area, raising questions about shifting distributions of marine creatures due to the effects of climate change.
The lab work is making a big impact in the media. We are proud to display the media coverage here and you can access the complete story on the IFLScience website.
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Our recent research paper, detailing the discovery of a new venomous jellyfish species in Japan, has captured international media attention, with outlets highlighting the fascinating cultural connection of its name and its critical implications for marine science.
The discovery, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, confirms the existence of Physalia mikazuki sp. nov.—a new type of Portuguese Man-of-War found unexpectedly far north in Japan’s Tohoku region.
The media coverage, including articles from Tohoku University, Asia Research News, and ScienceDaily, emphasized the unique story behind the new species’ name. The jellyfish was named P. mikazuki (“crescent helmet man-o-war”) as an homage to the legendary samurai warrior and feudal lord of Sendai, Date Masamune, who was famous for the crescent moon (mikazuki) adorning his helmet.
This culturally significant name drew attention to a serious scientific finding: the species’ arrival in the temperate Tohoku region is a direct result of marine ecosystem change.
The research, led by a team including Cheryl Lewis Ames, Chanikarn Yongstar, Kei Chloe Tan, and Ayane Totsu, suggests that warming coastal waters and the northward shift of the Kuroshio Current are pushing tropical species into previously untouched temperate zones. The study used DNA analysis and particle simulation modeling (as highlighted by the coverage) to confirm the species is distinct and to track its probable drift path from warmer waters.
This finding serves as a powerful indicator of how climate change is rapidly altering the global distribution of marine organisms, necessitating increased monitoring to ensure coastal safety and ecological understanding.
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A groundbreaking study co-authored by Cheryl Lewis Ames, Chanikarn Yongstar, Kei Chloe Tan, Ayane Totsu, and colleagues, has led to the identification of a new species of Portuguese Man-of-War (Physalia mikazuki sp. nov.) found in the waters of northeastern Japan (Tohoku).
The research, which also contou com Yoshiki Ochiai, Muhammad Izzat Nugraha, e Waka Sato-Okoshi, attributes the sudden presence of this new species in the temperate region to significant marine ecosystem changes. This discovery is vital for understanding how environmental shifts—such as changes in currents and climate—are forcing the global redistribution of marine organisms.
The findings emphasize the urgent need to monitor these shifts to protect marine biodiversity.
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As an experienced research scientist, teacher and mentor, Dr. Ames employs a combination of molecular and morphological tools to address major scientific questions in the fields of behavior, ecology, evolution and systematics. Her research focuses on venomous box jellyfish and seeks to further understanding of this cosmopolitan aquatic organism.
Cheryl has extensive field research experience having worked around the world including in the United States, Canada, Japan, and numerous tropical and subtropical regions. She has a demonstrated ability to collaborate with top-level government and academic researchers and obtain funding for multidisciplinary research projects. While designing experiments and conceiving ideas for publications, she strives to develop projects that strike an even balance between fundamental and applied marine biology.
A selected list of major research works appears below. For a full list of all of her work and more information about her research please visit her Research Gate profile.
The Asia-Pacific Region (APR) is a global hub of marine biodiversity, essential for global ecological stability and climate regulation. However, its ecosystems from extensive commercial fisheries to vital coral reefs face growing threats due to intense resource extraction and extreme climate events, such as marine heatwaves.
This Perspective article, led by an international collaboration (including Dr. Cheryl Ames), is the result of a seminar and workshop held at Tohoku University (Japan) in 2023. The goal was to address substantial barriers—including the vast diversity of cultures, languages, and management practices—that impede cross-national research efforts in the region.
The article concludes that these efforts are urgent and essential for supporting science-based policies and decisions, capable of confronting the escalating effects of climate change on the Pacific Asian marine systems.
“Without shared, high-quality data, our ability to detect patterns, predict outcomes, and guide effective action remains severely constrained.”
“A productive way forward is to build on regional initiatives that are already redefining how marine science is approached in the Asia-Pacific. This effort aligns with the goals of the World Premier International Research Centre Initiative-Advanced Institute for Marine Ecosystem Change (WPI-AIMEC), recently established at Tohoku University and Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology (JAMSTEC), and a satellite campus at the University of Hawai’i, Manoa. WPI-AIMEC brings together researchers across disciplines to better understand and forecast marine ecosystem responses to environmental change, with a global scope but a particular focus on the Northwest Pacific.”
Find the Full Paper at Frontiers in Marine Science
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We are absolutely thrilled to extend a warm welcome to our newest undergraduate students joining the IMS Lab for their research journey!
Our lab community is strengthened by the diverse perspectives and talents that students like Thomas and Kathleen bring. We look forward to supporting their work in marine biology and seeing the exciting contributions they will make to our research.
Please join us in giving them a fantastic welcome! You can find their full profiles and Social network links at the Meet The Lab page
Tohoku University released its new site design, with a lighter theme and clear lines. The new design is looking really good, but the biggest news for us is that our lab is featured on the front page.
Under the title, “The Romance of Research: Cheryl Ames,” there is an interview with Dr. Ames with text by Taylor Brin that showcases her motivation and ideals put into practice in the collaborative environment that is our lab.
“The Romance of Research: Cheryl Ames” is a really good read, and we are really proud of being portrayed on the new Tohoku University front page.
Bryson Torgovitsky (D2) recently attended the International Conference for Young Marine Sciences (ICYMARE) 2025 meeting, which was hosted in the coastal city of Bremerhaven, Germany. At ICYMARE, Bryson hosted a workshop entitled “Unboxing R” where he provided a crash-course introduction to the R coding language and the RStudio freeware. The goal of this workshop was the construction of a reproducible access-to-analysis data pipeline and practice with coding for students of the marine sciences. This workshop also followed the completion of the first semester of the Unboxing R seminar series which Bryson also designed and hosts here at Tohoku University.
The official website for ICYMARE can be found here
Bryson’s Github, where he has uploaded the code and materials used in the Unboxing R Workshop, can be found here
Bryson Torgovitsky (D2) was recently invited to speak at the TOMODACHI Next Generation Summit 2025 which was held by the TOMODACHI Initiative of the US-Japan Council in Tokyo on August 3rd. The TOMODACHI Initiative is a partnership between the Council and the United States Embassy in Japan which was originally founded as part of the relief efforts after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake. Today, TOMODACHI continues to serve as an outreach and education program. Bryson is a two-time alumnus of TOMODACHI high school exchange programs and has remained involved in student and alumni events in the years since. Bryson was a speaker for the Sustainability panel alongside two Japanese alumni where he outlined the importance of collaboration between science, citizens, and industry.
The official press release from TOMODACHI on the Next Generation Summit 2025 is available here: https://usjapantomodachi.org/2025/08/41805/.
