Conica are a

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, ...

suborder Order () is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between family and class. In biological classification, the order is a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms and recognized ...

of the

Leptomedusae Leptothecata, or thecate hydroids, are an order of hydrozoans in the phylum Cnidaria. Their closest living relatives are the athecate hydroids, which are similar enough to have always been considered closely related, and the very apomorphic Siph ...

(thecate hydroids). They make up the bulk of their

order Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * A socio-political or established or existing order, e.g. World order, Ancien Regime, Pax Britannica * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood ...

; their internal relationships are not well resolved, and most of the roughly 30

families Family (from ) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictability, structure, and safety as ...

are not yet assigned to a

superfamily SUPERFAMILY is a database and search platform of structural and functional annotation for all proteins and genomes. It classifies amino acid sequences into known structural domains, especially into SCOP superfamilies. Domains are functional, str ...

. They are named for the distinctive shape of their

hypostome In zoology, the hypostome can refer to structures in distinct animal groups: *Hypostome (trilobite), the ventral mouthpart plate in trilobites *Hypostome (tick) The hypostome (also called the maxilla, radula, or Labium (insect), labium) is a Os ...

, the "tip" of the polyps' body where the mouth is located. As opposed to the smaller thecate suborder Proboscidoidea with their elongated hypostome, the Conica have a simple hypostome without a pregastric cavity and a shape that is generally round or

conical In geometry, a cone is a three-dimensional figure that tapers smoothly from a flat base (typically a circle) to a point not contained in the base, called the ''apex'' or '' vertex''. A cone is formed by a set of line segments, half-lines, ...

. Well-known members of the Conica are the "

air fern The air fern (''Sertularia argentea'') is a dead and dried colony of hydrozoans, a species of marine animal in the family Sertulariidae related to corals and jellyfish. Air ferns are typically dyed green and sold as a curiosity, as a decorative ...

" (''Sertilaria argentea'') of the

Sertulariidae Sertulariidae is a family (biology), family of hydrozoans. Genera According to the World Register of Marine Species, the following genus, genera belong to this family: *''Abietinaria'' Kirchenpauer, 1884 *''Amphisbetia'' L. Agassiz, 1862 *''Cale ...

which is sold dried as novelty "plants" and aquarium ornaments, and the Crystal Jelly (''Aequorea victoria'') of the

Aequoreidae Aequoreidae is a family of hydrozoans, sometimes called the many-ribbed jellies or many-ribbed jellyfish. There are approximately 30 known species found in temperate and tropical marine coastal environments. Aequoreids include ''Aequorea victoria ...

, a

bioluminescent Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms inc ...

hydrozoan.

Systematics

Apart from the

assigned to the three named superfamilies, there are many Conica that are presently unassigned as to superfamily, either because their relationships and/or validity remain unknown or because they represent minor but very ancient lineages basal to the three main radiations within this order:Schuchert (2008), MarineSpecies.org (2008) Tima formosa1

Basal and ''

incertae sedis or is a term used for a taxonomy (biology), taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Alternatively, such groups are frequently referred to as "enigmatic taxa". In the system of open nomenclature, uncertainty ...

'' * Family

* Family Barcinidae * Family Clathrozoellidae (often included in Clathrozoidae or placed in

Anthomedusae Anthoathecata, or the athecate hydroids, are an order (biology), order of hydrozoans belonging to the phylum (biology), phylum Cnidaria. A profusion of alternate scientific names exists for this long-known and heavily discussed group. It has also ...

) * Family Clathrozoidae Stechow, 1921 * Family Dipleurosomatidae * Family

Eirenidae Eirenidae is a Family (biology), family of Hydrozoa, hydrozoans. Genera The following genera are recognized within the family Eirenidae: * ''Eirene (hydrozoan), Eirene'' Eschscholtz, 1829 * ''Eugymnanthea'' Palombi, 1936 * ''Eutima'' McCrady ...

(including Eutimidae, Timoididae) * Family

Haleciidae Haleciidae is a family (biology), family of hydrozoans. Their hydroid (zoology), hydroid colonies emerge from a creeping hydrorhiza and usually form upright branching colonies, although some species' colonies are stolonal. Their gonophores are ty ...

* Family Lafoeidae (including Hebellidae) * Family

Laodiceidae Laodiceidae is a family of cnidarians belonging to the order Leptomedusae Leptothecata, or thecate hydroids, are an order of hydrozoans in the phylum Cnidaria. Their closest living relatives are the athecate hydroids, which are similar enough ...

* Family

Lovenellidae __NOTOC__ Lovenellidae is a family of hydrozoans. Their hydroids live together in upright stolonal or sympodial colonies, and their gonophores are pedunculate free-roaming medusae.Schuchert (2005) The relationships of this fairly small but di ...

(including Eucheilotidae) * Family

Malagazziidae Malagazziidae is a family of hydrozoans. Genera The following genera are recognized within the family Malagazziidae: * '' Octocanna'' Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; ; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoo ...

* Family Melicertidae * Family

Mitrocomidae Mitrocomidae is a Family (biology), family of hydrozoans in the order Leptothecata. References

Mitrocomidae, Leptothecata Taxa named by Ernst Haeckel {{Leptothecata-stub ...

Haeckel, 1879 * Family Octocannoidae * Family Orchistomatidae * Family Phialellidae * Family Sugiuridae * Family Syntheciidae * Family Teclaiidae * Family

Tiarannidae Tiarannidae is a family of hydrozoans belonging to the order Leptothecata Leptothecata, or thecate hydroids, are an order of hydrozoans in the phylum Cnidaria. Their closest living relatives are the athecate hydroids, which are similar enou ...

* Family Tiaropsidae Boero, Bouillon & Danovaro, 1987 * Family Zygophylaxidae (often included in Lafoeidae) Superfamily Campanulinoidea (disputed) * Family Blackfordiidae * Family Calycellidae (often included in Campanulinidae) * Family

Campanulinidae Campanulinidae is a family of cnidarians belonging to the order Leptomedusae. Genera Genera: * '' Calycella'' Hincks in Allman, 1864 * '' Campanulina'' van Beneden, 1847 * '' Egmundella'' Stechow, 1921 * '' Gangiostoma'' Xu, 1983 * ''Lafoeina ...

* Family Lineolariidae (often included in Campanulinidae) Superfamily

Plumularioidea Plumularioidea is a superfamily of hydrozoans in the order Leptothecata. This superfamily unites about 45 genera in the following families: * Aglaopheniidae Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1890 * Halopterididae Millard, 1962 * Kirchenpaueriidae St ...

(4 families) Superfamily Sertularioidea * Family

Fleming, 1828 * Family Thyroscyphidae

Footnotes

References

* (2008)
Conica
Retrieved 2008-JUL-08. * (2008)

Retrieved 2008-JUL-08. Leptothecata Cnidarian suborders {{leptothecata-stub