Tamoya haplonema (F. Müller, 1859) (Cnidaria: Cubozoa): indicator of tropicalization in the Southwestern Atlantic?

Tamoya haplonema has been highlighted as a species of Cubozoa with a wide distribution in the western South Atlantic coast. However, recent studies highlight its preference for cold waters and its absence in the summer months in southern Brazil, being considered as having a subtropical distribution. In recent summer seasons, strandings of this species on beaches and stings of bathers have been observed, suggesting that T. haplonema may be responding to a more favorable thermal environment for its development on the coast of Uruguay, with possible increase in its occurrences to the north of Argentina. This possible poleward displacement, if proven, may be related to several factors, including a response to the tropicalization process of the oceans that has been observed worldwide.