In order to name the newly discovered species, Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science organized an online competition, which was won by the high school marine biology teacher Lisa Peck,[1][2] who explained her winning entry saying: "I bet ‘Oh Boy’ is the first thing said when a biologist or layman encounters the Bonaire Banded Box Jellyfish.

[1] The closely related species Tamoya haplonema lives in the waters of Brazil and the south-eastern United States of America.

Tamoya ohboya is characterized by a deep stomach, densely spread cnidocysts and banded tentacles whose color ranges from reddish-orange to dark brown.

[1] Its ecology is still relatively unknown, but it is presumed that it is a daylight predator[1] whose prey includes small crustaceans and fish.

[2] Since 1989,[2] three people have reported being stung by Tamoya ohboya, which led to intense pain, skin damage and, in one of the cases, hospitalization.