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Medusozoa
Medusozoa is a clade in the phylum Cnidaria, and is often considered a subphylum. It includes the classes Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Staurozoa and Box jellyfish, Cubozoa, and possibly the parasitic Polypodium (animal), Polypodiozoa. Medusozoans are distinguished by having a medusa stage in their often complex life cycle, a medusa typically being an umbrella-shaped body with stinging tentacles around the edge. With the exception of some Hydrozoa (and Polypodiozoa), all are called jellyfish in their free-swimming Jellyfish#Life history and behavior, medusa phase. Evolution The phylum Cnidaria is widely accepted as being Monophyly, monophyletic and consisting of two clades, Anthozoa and Medusozoa. Anthozoa includes the Class (biology), classes Hexacorallia, the hard corals, and Octocorallia, the soft corals, as well as Tube-dwelling anemone, Ceriantharia, the tube-dwelling anemones. There is strong support for this group having been the first to branch off from the ancestral line. Meduso ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cnidaria
Cnidaria ( ) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic invertebrates found both in fresh water, freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroid (zoology), hydroids, sea anemones, corals and some of the smallest marine parasites. Their distinguishing features are an uncentralized nervous system distributed throughout a gelatinous body and the presence of cnidocytes or cnidoblasts, specialized cells with ejectable flagella used mainly for envenomation and capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living, jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell (biology), cell thick. Cnidarians are also some of the few animals that can reproduce both sexually and asexually. Cnidarians mostly have two basic body forms: swimming medusa (biology), medusae and sessility (motility), sessile polyp (zoology), polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Jellyfish
Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being motile. They are made of an umbrella-shaped main body made of mesoglea, known as the ''bell'', and a collection of trailing tentacles on the underside. Via pulsating contractions, the bell can provide propulsion for animal locomotion, locomotion through open water. The tentacles are armed with cnidocyte, stinging cells and may be used to capture prey or to defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex biological life cycle, life cycle, and the medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae. These then disperse widely and enter a sedentary #Life cycle, polyp phase which may include asexual budding before reaching sexual maturity. Jellyfish ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Burgessomedusa
''Burgessomedusa'' is an Extinction, extinct, Monotypic taxon, monotypic genus of Macroscopic scale, macroscopic free-swimming cnidarians from the middle Cambrian Burgess Shale in Canada. The type species is ''Burgessomedusa phasmiformis''. The genus was characterized by the bell-like body with about 90 short tentacles. They led a Predatory, predatory lifestyle and reached a length of 20 cm. It is considered as the oldest unambiguous free-swimming medusa (commonly known as jellyfish), if potential older records from other fossil sites represent Ctenophora, ctenophores instead. Etymology Genus is a Compound (linguistics), compound name wherein "''Burgess''" pertains to the geographical area Burgess Shale, and the Latin word ''medusa'' relates to the taxonomic group Medusozoa. While the species name ''phasmiformis'' is from the combination of the Greek "''phasma''" and the Latin "''forma''" words, referring to the ghostly shape of the umbrella. The authors stated that the sp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Box Jellyfish
Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including '' Chironex fleckeri'', '' Carukia barnesi'', '' Malo kingi'', and a few others, are extremely painful and often fatal to humans. Taxonomy and systematics Historically, cubozoans were classified as an order of Scyphozoa until 1973, when they were put in their own class due to their unique biological cycle (lack of strobilation) and morphology. At least 51 species of box jellyfish were known as of 2018. These are grouped into two orders and eight families. A few new species have since been described, and it is likely that additional undescribed species remain. Cubozoa represents the smallest cnidarian class with approximately 50 species. Class Cubzoa * Order Carybdeida ** Family Alatinidae ** Family Carukiidae ** Family Carybdeid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cubozoa
Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom (poison), venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including ''Chironex fleckeri'', ''Carukia barnesi'', ''Malo kingi'', and a few others, are extremely painful and often fatal to humans. Taxonomy and systematics Historically, cubozoans were classified as an order of Scyphozoa until 1973, when they were put in their own class due to their unique biological cycle (lack of strobilation) and morphology. At least 51 species of box jellyfish were known as of 2018. These are grouped into two Order (biology), orders and eight Family (biology), families. A few new species have since been described, and it is likely that additional undescribed species remain. Cubozoa represents the smallest cnidarian class with approximately 50 species. Class Cubzoa * Order Carybdeida ** Family Alatinidae ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Staurozoa
Staurozoa is a class of Medusozoa (or jellyfish). It has one extant order: Stauromedusae (stalked jellyfishes) with a total of 50 known species. A fossil group called Conulariida has been proposed as a second order, although this is highly speculative. This extinct order is largely unknown and described as a possibly cnidarian clade of marine life with shell-like structures. Staurozoans are small animals () that live in marine environments, usually attached to seaweeds, rocks, or gravel.Collins, A. G. (n.d.). Staurozoa. ''AccessScience''. doi:10.1036/1097-8542.652700 They have a large antitropical distribution, a majority found in boreal or polar, near-shore, and shallow waters. Few staurozoans are found in warmer tropical and subtropical water environments of the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Ocean basins, but most are known from the Northern Hemisphere. Over the years the number of discovered species has increased, with an estimated 50 species currently recognized. Information ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Auroralumina Attenboroughii
''Auroralumina'' (from Latin language, Latin ''aurōra'' "dawn", ''lūmina'' "lights") is a genus of cnidarian from the Ediacaran of Charnwood Forest, comprising the Monotypic taxon, single species ''Auroralumina attenboroughii''. It is the earliest known crown group, crown-group cnidarian, and also the earliest known animal Predation, predator. Fossil Biology ''Auroralumina'' has been described as the earliest known animal Predation, predator: since its structure places it among the Cnidaria, which have stinging cells (cnidocytes) on their tentacles, it is presumed that they used these to catch small planktonic animals. The fossil consists of a pair of bifurcating tubes in which the animals lived, the earliest such structure to be recorded. It has been dated to 560 million years ago using zircon crystals in the rock. The only species in the genus, ''A. attenboroughii'', is named for the English natural history presenter David Attenborough, who went to school in Leicestershire, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Conulariida
Conulariida are an extinct group of medusozoan cnidarians known from fossils spanning from the latest Ediacaran up until the Late Triassic. They are almost exclusively known from their hard external structures (alternatively referred to as a theca, periderm or test), which were pyramidal in shape and made up of numerous lamellae (thin layers). They are thought to have been sessile animals that grew with the narrower tip anchored to the seafloor, with the wider end bearing an array of tentacles used to ensnare prey. Structure The conulariids are fossils preserved as shell-like structures made up of rows of calcium phosphate rods, resembling an ice-cream cone with fourfold symmetry, usually four prominently-grooved corners. New rods were added as the organism grew in length; the rod-based growth falsely gives the fossils a segmented appearance. Exceptional soft-part preservation has revealed that soft tentacles protruded from the wider end of the cone, and a holdfast from the p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Myxozoa
Myxozoa (etymology: Greek: μύξα ''myxa'' "slime" or "mucus" + thematic vowel o + ζῷον ''zoon'' "animal") is a subphylum of aquatic cnidarian animals – all obligate parasites. It contains the smallest animals ever known to have lived. Over 2,180 species have been described and some estimates have suggested at least 30,000 undiscovered species. Many have a two-host lifecycle, involving a fish and an annelid worm or a bryozoan. The average size of a myxosporean spore usually ranges from 10 μm to 20 μm, whereas that of a malacosporean (a subclade of the Myxozoa) spore can be up to 2 mm. Myxozoans can live in both freshwater and marine habitats. Myxozoans are highly derived cnidarians that have undergone dramatic evolution from a free swimming, self-sufficient jellyfish-like creature into their current form of obligate parasites composed of very few cells. As myxozoans evolved into microscopic parasites, they lost many genes responsible for multice ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polypodium (animal)
''Polypodium'' is a genus of cnidarians that parasitizes in the eggs of sturgeon and similar fishes (Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae). It is one of few animals that lives inside the cells of other animals. ''Polypodium hydriforme'' is the only species of this monotypic genus. The parent family (Polypodiidae), order (Polypodiidea) and class (Polypodiozoa) are also monotypic. Taxonomy Unusual characteristics have led to much controversy regarding the phylogenetic position of ''Polypodium'' within metazoans. ''Polypodium'' has traditionally been considered a cnidarian because it possesses nematocysts, the stinging structures characteristic of this phylum. Molecular phylogenetic studies using 18S rDNA sequence data temporarily challenged this interpretation, by finding that ''Polypodium'' is a close relative to myxozoans and suggesting that together they share a closer affinity to bilaterians than cnidarians. Due to the variable rates of 18S rDNA sequences, these results were ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Anthozoa
Anthozoa is one of the three subphyla of Cnidaria, along with Medusozoa and Endocnidozoa. It includes Sessility (motility), sessile marine invertebrates and invertebrates of brackish water, such as sea anemones, Scleractinia, stony corals, soft corals and sea pens. Almost all adult anthozoans are attached to the seabed, while their larvae can disperse as plankton. The basic unit of the adult is the polyp (zoology), polyp, an individual animal consisting of a cylindrical column topped by a disc with a central mouth surrounded by tentacles. Sea anemones are mostly solitary, but the majority of corals are colony (biology), colonial, being formed by the budding of new polyps from an original, founding individual. Colonies of stony corals are strengthened by mainly aragonite and other materials, and can take various massive, plate-like, bushy or leafy forms. Members of Anthozoa possess cnidocytes, a feature shared among other cnidarians such as the jellyfish, box jellyfish, box jellies ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
