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| {{About|the marine invertebrate|other uses|Man O' War (disambiguation)}}
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| {{merge from|Portuguese man-of-war dermatitis|date=September 2013}}
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| {{Taxobox
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| | name = Portuguese man o' war
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| | image = Portuguese Man-O-War (Physalia physalis).jpg
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| | regnum = [[Animal]]ia
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| | phylum = [[Cnidaria]]
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| | classis = [[Hydrozoa]]
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| | ordo = [[Siphonophorae]]
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| | familia = [[Physaliidae]]
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| | genus = ''[[Physalia]]''
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| | species = '''''P. physalis'''''
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| | binomial = ''Physalia physalis''
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| | binomial_authority = ([[Carl Linnaeus|Linnaeus]], 1758)
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| }}
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| __NOTOC__
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| {{CMG}}; {{AE}} {{KS}}
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| ==Overview==
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| The '''Portuguese man o' war''' (''Physalia physalis''), also known as the '''Portuguese man-of-war''', '''man-of-war''', or '''bluebottle''' is a [[Marine biology|marine]] [[cnidaria]]n of the family [[Physalia|Physaliidae]]. Its venomous [[Tentacle#Cnidarians|tentacles]] can deliver a painful [[Cnidocyte|sting]].
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| Despite its outward appearance, the Portuguese man o' war is not a common [[jellyfish]] but a [[Siphonophorae|siphonophore]], which is not actually a single [[multicellular organism]], but a colony of specialized minute individuals called [[zooid]]s.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | last1=Grzimek|first1=B.|first2=N. |last2=Schlager |first3=D. |last3=Olendorf |date=2003|encyclopedia=Grzimek's Animal Life Encyclopaedia|publisher = Thomson Gale }}</ref> These zooids are attached to one another and physiologically integrated to the extent that they are incapable of independent survival.
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| ==Etymology==
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| The name "man o' war" comes from the [[man-of-war]], an 18th-century armed sailing ship,<ref>{{cite book | title = Marine Science Textbook |first= Thomas F. | last=Greene }}</ref> and the cnidarian's supposed resemblance to the Portuguese version at full sail.<ref>{{cite news|title=Surge in number of men o'war being washed up on beaches|first=David|last=Millward|url=http://www.telegraph.co.uk/earth/earthnews/9526551/Surge-in-number-of-men-owar-being-washed-up-on-beaches.html|newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]]|date=8 September 2012 |accessdate=8 September 2012}}</ref> In other languages it is simply known as the 'Portuguese war-ship' ({{lang-nl|portugees oorlogsschip}}, {{lang-sv|portugisisk örlogsman}}, {{lang-no|portugisisk krigsskip}}, {{lang-fi|portugalinsotalaiva}}), the 'Portuguese galley' ({{lang-de|portugiesische Galeere}}, {{lang-hu|portugál gálya}}), the 'Portuguese caravel' ({{lang-pt|caravela portuguesa}}, {{lang-es|carabela portuguesa}}, {{lang-it|caravella portoghese}}), or the 'Portuguese little boat' ({{lang-ru|португальский кораблик}}).
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| ==Habitat and location==
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| The Portuguese man o' war lives at the surface of the ocean. The gas-filled bladder, or pneumatophore, remains at the surface, while the remainder is submerged.<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War">{{cite web | url = http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/portuguese-man-of-war.html | title = Portuguese Man-of-War|publisher = [[National Geographic Society]] }}</ref> Since the Portuguese man o' war has no means of propulsion, it is moved by a combination of winds, currents, and tides. Although it can be found anywhere in the [[open ocean]] (especially warm water seas), it is most commonly found in the tropical and subtropical regions of the [[Pacific Ocean|Pacific]], [[Indian Ocean|Indian]] and [[Atlantic Ocean|Atlantic]] oceans. The Portuguese man o' war has been found as far north as the [[Bay of Fundy]] and the [[Hebrides]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Halstead|first=B.W.|title= Poisonous and Venomous Marine Animals of the World | date = 1988 | publisher= Darwin Press }}</ref>
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| Strong winds may drive them into bays or onto beaches. It is rare for only a single Portuguese man o' war to be found; often the finding of one results in the finding of many.<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War" /> Attitudes to the presence of the Portuguese man o' war vary around the world. Given their sting, however, they must always be treated with caution, and the discovery of man o' war washed up on a beach may lead to the closure of the whole beach.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/7569233.stm | title = Dangerous jellyfish wash up | publisher = [[BBC News]] | date = 2008-08-18 | accessdate = 2011-09-07 }}/</ref>
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| ==Structure==
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| [[File:Physalia physalis1.jpg|thumb|''Physalia physalis'']]
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| The Portuguese man o' war is composed of three types of [[polyp]]s and an associated gas-filled air sack called a pneumatophore or "sail".<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War" /> The pneumatophore should probably not be considered a polyp as it develops from the [[planula]] unlike the other polyps.<ref name="Kozloff1990">{{cite book|first=Eugene N.|last=Kozloff|title=Invertebrates|year=1990|publisher=Saunders College|isbn=978-0-03-046204-7|page=116}}</ref> This sail is [[Symmetry in biology#Bilateral symmetry|bilaterally symmetrical]], with the tentacles at one end, is translucent, and is tinged blue, purple, pink, or [[mauve]]. It may be {{convert|9|to|30|cm|abbr=on}} long and may extend as much as {{convert|15|cm|abbr=on}} above the water. The Portuguese man o' war generates carbon monoxide in its gas gland, filling its gas bladder with up to 14% carbon monoxide. The remainder is nitrogen, oxygen, and argon, atmospheric gases that diffuse into the gas bladder. Carbon dioxide occurs at trace levels.<ref name=Wittenberg1960>{{Cite journal
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| | issn = 0022-0949
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| | volume = 37
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| | issue = 4
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| | pages = 698–705
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| | last = Wittenberg
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| | first = Jonathan B.
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| | title = The Source of Carbon Monoxide in the Float of the Portuguese Man-of-War, Physalia Physalis L
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| | journal = Journal of Experimental Biology
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| | accessdate = 2013-02-12
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| | date = 1960-01-12
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| | url = http://jeb.biologists.org/content/37/4/698
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| }}</ref> The sail is equipped with a siphon. In the event of a surface attack, the sail can be deflated, allowing the organism to briefly submerge.<ref>{{cite web | author = Physalia physalis | url = http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/printable/portuguese-man-of-war.html | title = Portuguese Man-of-War Printable Page work= National Geographic Animals | publisher = [[National Geographic Society|National Geographic]] | accessdate = 2009-12-07 }}</ref>
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| The other three polyp types are known as dactylozooid (defence), gonozooid (reproduction), and gastrozooid (feeding).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.html |title=Portuguese Man-of-War (Bluebottle - ''Physalia spp.'' - Hydroid) |publisher=Aloha.com |accessdate=2011-09-08|archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20120527142429/http://www.aloha.com/~lifeguards/portugue.html|archivedate=2012-05-27}}</ref> These polyps are clustered. The dactylzooids make up the tentacles that are typically {{convert|10|m|abbr=on}} in length, but can be up to {{convert|50|m|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War" /> The long tentacles "fish" continuously through the water, and each tentacle bears stinging, venom-filled [[Cnidocyte|nematocysts]] (coiled, thread-like structures), which sting and kill small sea organisms such as small fish and shrimp. Contractile cells in each tentacle drag the prey into range of the digestive polyps, the gastrozooids, which surround and digest the food by secreting enzymes that break down proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, while the gonozooids are responsible for reproduction.
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| ==Venom==
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| This species and the smaller Indo-Pacific man o' war (''[[Physalia utriculus]]'') are responsible for up to 10,000 human stings in [[Australia]] each summer, particularly on the east coast, with some others occurring off the coast of [[South Australia]] and [[Western Australia]].<ref name="Fenner1996">{{cite journal | last = Fenner | first = Peter J. |first2=John A.|last2=Williamson |date=December 1996 | title = Worldwide deaths and severe envenomation from jellyfish stings | journal = Medical Journal of Australia | volume = 165 | issue = 11–12 | pages = 658–661 | issn = 0025-729X | url = http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/dec2/fenner/fenner.html | accessdate = 2009-09-04 | quote = In Australia, particularly on the east coast, up to 10 000 stings occur each summer from the bluebottle (''Physalia spp.'') alone, with others also from the "hair jellyfish" (''Cyanea'') and "blubber" (''Catostylus''). More bluebottle stings occur in South Australia and Western Australia, as well as stings from a single-tentacled box jellyfish, the "jimble" (''Carybdea rastoni'') | pmid = 8985452 }}</ref>
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| The stinging, venom-filled nematocysts<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Yanagihara | first1= Angel A. | last2= Kuroiwa | first2= Janelle M.Y. | last3= Oliver | first3= Louise M. | last4= Kunkel | first4= Dennis D. | title = The ultrastructure of nematocysts from the fishing tentacle of the Hawaiian bluebottle, ''Physalia utriculus'' (Cnidaria, Hydrozoa, Siphonophora) | journal= [[Hydrobiologia]] | volume=489 | issue = 1–3| pages = 139–150|date=December 2002 | url = http://www5.pbrc.hawaii.edu/pcrl/pdf/ultrastructure_physalia_Hydrobiologia.pdf| doi = 10.1023/A:1023272519668}}</ref> in the tentacles of the Portuguese man o' war can paralyze small fish and other prey. Detached tentacles and dead specimens (including those that wash up on shore) can sting just as painfully as the live organism in the water and may remain potent for hours or even days after the death of the organism or the detachment of the tentacle.<ref name="Auerbach1997">{{cite journal | last = Auerbach|first=Paul S. | title = Envenomation from jellyfish and related species | journal = [[Journal of Emergency Nursing|J Emerg Nurs]] | volume = 23 | pages = 555–565 | date = December 1997 |doi = 10.1016/S0099-1767(97)90269-5 | issue = 6 | pmid=9460392}}</ref>
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| Stings usually cause severe pain to humans, leaving whip-like, red welts on the skin that normally last two or three days after the initial sting, though the pain should subside after about an hour. However, the venom can travel to the [[lymph node]]s and may cause, depending on the amount of venom, a more intense pain.{{Citation needed|date=September 2011}} A sting may lead to an allergic reaction. There can also be [[Anaphylaxis|serious effects]], including fever, shock, and interference with heart and lung function. Stings may also cause death,<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Stein |first1=Mark R. | last2= Marraccini | first2 = John V. | last3= Rothschild | first3=Neal E. | last4= Burnett | first4=Joseph W. | title = Fatal Portuguese man-o'-war (''Physalia physalis'') envenomation | journal = [[Annals of Emergency Medicine|Ann Emerg Med]] | volume = 18 | issue = 3 | pages = 312–315 | date = March 1989 | pmid = 2564268 | doi = 10.1016/S0196-0644(89)80421-4 }}</ref> although this is extremely rare. Medical attention may be necessary, especially if pain persists or is intense, the reaction is extreme, the rash worsens, a feeling of overall illness develops, a red streak develops between swollen lymph nodes and the sting, or either area becomes red, warm, and tender.
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| ==Diagnosis==
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| ===Physical Examination===
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| ====Skin====
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| <gallery>
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| </gallery>
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| ===Treatment of stings===
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| Stings from a Portuguese man o' war may result in a severe dermatitis.<ref name="Andrews">{{cite book | last1 = James | first1= William D. | last2= Berger | first2= Timothy G. | first3= Dirk M. | last3 = Elston | first4 = Richard B. | last4 = Odom |title=Andrews' Diseases of the Skin: Clinical Dermatology |publisher=Saunders Elsevier |location= |date=2006 |page=429 |isbn=0-7216-2921-0 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref><ref name="Bolognia">{{cite book |last1 = Rapini | first1 = Ronald P. | last2 = Bolognia | first2 = Jean L. | last3 = Jorizzo | first3 = Joseph L. |title=Dermatology: 2-Volume Set |publisher=Mosby |location=St. Louis |year=2007 |pages= |isbn=1-4160-2999-0 |oclc= |doi= |accessdate=}}</ref> The Portuguese man o' war is often confused with jellyfish, which may lead to improper treatment of stings, as the venom differs from that of true jellyfish. Treatment for a Portuguese man o' war sting includes:
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| * avoiding further contact with the Portuguese man o' war and carefully removing remnants of the organism from the skin (taking care not to touch them directly with fingers or any other part of the skin to avoid secondary stinging)
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| * apply salt water to the affected area (not fresh water, which tends to make the affected area worse)<ref>specialist from the University of Southampton appearing on [[BBC]] Breakfast program, date: 8am, Tue 19 August 2008.</ref><ref name="Slaughter">{{cite journal | last1 = Slaughter | first1 = R.J. | last2 = Beasley | first2 = D.M. | last3 = Lambie | first3 = B.S. | last4 = Schep | first4 = L.J. | title = New Zealand's venomous creatures | journal = [[New Zealand Medical Journal]] | volume = 122 | issue = 1290 | pages = 83–97 | date = 2009 | pmid = 19319171 }}</ref>
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| * follow up with the application of hot water ({{convert|45|°C|disp=slash}}) to the affected area from 15 to 20 minutes.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Yoshimoto | first1 = C.M. | last2 = Yanagihara | first2 = A.A. | title = Cnidarian (coelenterate) envenomations in Hawai’i improve following heat application | journal = Transactions of the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene | volume = 96 | issue = 3 | pages = 300–303 | date = May–June 2002 | pmid = 12174784}}</ref> which has been shown to ease the pain better than ice cold water.<ref>{{cite journal | last1 = Loten | first1 = Conrad | last2 = Stokes | first2 = Barrie | last3 = Worsley | first3 = David | last4 = Seymour | first4 = Jamie E. | last5 = Jiang | first5 = Simon | last6 = Isbister | first6 = Geoffrey K. | title = A randomised controlled trial of hot water (45 °C) immersion versus ice packs for pain relief in bluebottle stings | journal = [[Medical Journal of Australia]] | volume = 184 | issue = 7 | pages = 329–333 | date = 3 April 2006 | pmid = 16584366 | url = https://www.mja.com.au/journal/2006/184/7/randomised-controlled-trial-hot-water-45-c-immersion-versus-ice-packs-pain-relief }}</ref>
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| * if eyes have been affected, irrigate with copious amounts of room-temperature tap water for at least 15 minutes, and if vision blurs or the eyes continue to water or hurt, swell, or show light sensitivity after irrigating, or there is any concern, seek medical attention as soon as possible
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| Vinegar is not recommended for treating stings.<ref name="Slaughter" /> Vinegar dousing increases toxin delivery and worsens symptoms of stings from the nematocysts of this species. Vinegar has also been confirmed to provoke hemorrhaging when used on the less severe stings of [[nematocysts]] of smaller species.<ref>{{cite journal | last = Exton | first = D.R. | title = Treatment of ''Physalia physalis'' envenomation | journal = [[Medical Journal of Australia]] | volume = 149 | issue = 1 | page = 54 | date = 1988 | pmid = 2898725 }}</ref>
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| ==Predators and prey==
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| The Portuguese man o' war is a carnivore.<ref name="Portuguese Man-of-War" /> Using its venomous tentacles, a man o' war traps and paralyzes its prey. It typically feeds upon small marine organisms, such as fish and plankton.
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| [[File:Physalia physalis, Tayrona national park, Colombia.jpg|thumb|Portuguese man o' war in Tayrona National Park, Colombia]]
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| The [[Loggerhead Sea Turtle|loggerhead turtle]] feeds on the Portuguese man o' war, a common part of the loggerhead's diet.<ref>{{cite book | author = Brodie | title = Venomous Animals | publisher = Western Publishing Company | date = 1989 }}</ref> The turtle's skin is too thick for the sting to penetrate.
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| The sea slug ''[[Glaucus atlanticus]]'' also feeds on the Portuguese man o' war,<ref>{{cite web | first1 = Carla | last1 = Scocchi | first2 = James B. | last2 = Wood | url = http://www.thecephalopodpage.org/MarineInvertebrateZoology/Glaucusatlanticus.html | title = ''Glaucus atlanticus'', Blue Ocean Slug | publisher = Thecephalopodpage.org | accessdate = 2009-12-07 }}</ref> as does the violet snail ''[[Janthina janthina]]''.<ref name="M&S">{{cite book | last = Morrison | first = Sue | authorlink = |last2=Storrie | first2 = Ann | title = Wonders of Western Waters: The Marine Life of South-Western Australia | year = 1999 | publisher = [[Department of Conservation and Land Management|CALM]] | isbn = 0-7309-6894-4 | page = 68 }}</ref>
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| The [[blanket octopus]] is immune to the venom of the Portuguese man o' war; young individuals carry broken man o' war tentacles, presumably for offensive and/or defensive purposes.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://tolweb.org/tree?group=Tremoctopus&contgroup=Argonautoid_families | title = Tremoctopus | publisher = Tolweb.org | accessdate = 2009-12-07 }}</ref>
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| The [[ocean sunfish]]'s primary diet consists of jellyfish, but it can also consume Portuguese men o' war.
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| ==Commensalism and symbiosis==
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| A small fish, ''[[Nomeus gronovii]]'' (the man-of-war fish or shepherd fish), is partially immune to the venom from the stinging cells and can live among the tentacles. It seems to avoid the larger, stinging tentacles but feeds on the smaller tentacles beneath the gas bladder. The Portuguese man o' war is often found with a variety of other marine fish, including [[clownfish]] and [[yellow jack]]. The [[clownfish]] can swim among the tentacles with impunity, possibly owing to their mucus, which does not trigger the [[nematocysts]].
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| All of these fish benefit from the shelter from predators provided by the stinging tentacles, and for the Portuguese man o' war the presence of these species may attract other fish on which to feed.<ref>{{cite encyclopedia | authorlink = Ross Piper | last = Piper | first = Ross | date = 2007 | encyclopedia = Extraordinary Animals: An Encyclopedia of Curious and Unusual Animals | publisher = [[Greenwood Press (publisher)|Greenwood Press]] }}</ref>
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| ==Gallery==
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| {{gallery
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| | height=120|width=120|lines=4
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| |File:Portuguese_Man_O'_War_Miami_March_2008.jpg|Portuguese man o' war in [[Miami, FL]]
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| |File:Bluebottles, Maroubra Beach.jpg|Portuguese men o' war washed ashore on [[Maroubra Beach]]
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| | File:Portuguese-m ayaro.JPG|Portuguese man o' war captured live in [[Mayaro Beach]], [[Trinidad and Tobago]]
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| |File:Portuguese Man o' War at Palm Beach FL by Volkan Yuksel DSC05878.jpg|Portuguese man o' war at [[Palm Beach, FL]]
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| }}
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| ==See also==
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| * [[Portuguese man-of-war dermatitis]]
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| * [[Chondrophore]]s (porpitids), a different [[hydrozoa]]n [[Colony (biology)|colonial organism]]
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| ==References==
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| {{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}
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| ==External links==
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| {{wikispecies|Physalia physalis}}
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| {{Commons category|Physalia physalis}}
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| * [http://www.siphonophores.org/ Siphonophores.org] General information on siphonophores, including the Portuguese man-of-war
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| * [http://library.thinkquest.org/C007974/2_1bbo.htm/ Poisonous Animals: Blue bottle, Portuguese man-of-war]{{dead link|date=February 2013}}
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| * [http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/animals/invertebrates/portuguese-man-of-war.html National Geographic: Portuguese Man-of-War]
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| * [http://lifeinthefastlane.com/2008/12/blue-bottle-sting-australia/ Life In The Fast Lane: Blue bottle]
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| * [http://portuguesemanofwar.com Contact: Myrtle Beach, South Carolina]
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| {{DEFAULTSORT:Portuguese Man O' War}}
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| [[Category:Siphonophorae]]
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| [[Category:Venomous animals]]
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| [[Category:Animals described in 1758]]
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