Carybdeida | |
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Tripedalia cystophora | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Cubozoa |
Order: | Carybdeida Gegenbaur, 1857 |
Families | |
Synonyms | |
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Carybdeida is an order of box jellyfish. [1] There are five families within the order. [2] They are distinguished from other box jellyfish by the presence of unbranched muscular bases at the corners of the cubic umbrella. [3] Most species have four tentacles.
Cnidaria is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter.
Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile. The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle; the medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae that disperse widely and enter a sedentary polyp phase before reaching sexual maturity.
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish.
Box jellyfish are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like 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.
Medusozoa is a clade in the phylum Cnidaria, and is often considered a subphylum. It includes the classes Hydrozoa, Scyphozoa, Staurozoa and Cubozoa, and possibly the parasitic 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, all are called jellyfish in their free-swimming medusa phase.
The Irukandji jellyfish are any of several similar, extremely venomous species of box jellyfish. With a very small adult size of about a cubic centimetre (1 cm3), they are both the smallest and one of the most venomous jellyfish in the world. They inhabit the northern marine waters of Australia. They are able to fire their stingers into their victim, causing a condition known as Irukandji syndrome, which can be fatal. There are about 16 known species of Irukandji, of which Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, Malo maxima, Malo filipina and Malo bella are the best-known.
Staurozoa is a class of Medusozoa, jellyfishes and hydrozoans. It has one extant order: Stauromedusae. A fossil group called Conulariida has been proposed as a second order, although this is highly speculative. The extinct order is largely unknown and described as a possibly cnidarian clade of marine life with shell-like structures, the Conulariida. Staurozoans are small animals that live in marine environments, usually attached to seaweeds, rocks, or gravel. 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 their number of species has increased, thus right now it is said to have an estimated 50 species.
Carybdea is a genus of venomous box jellyfish within the family Carybdeidae that currently consists of a total of 8 species. This genus of jellyfish are often found in warm waters around the world in waters such as the Mediterranean Sea, the Pacific Ocean, and off the coast of Africa. Their sting can cause a range of effects depending on the species. These invertebrates will go through both sexual and asexual reproduction as they transform from a polyp to medusa. Carybdea have a box-shaped bell with four tentacles and eye-like sensory structures. There are distinct physical markings that differentiate many species within the genus. While Carybdea use their venom to act as predators, they are also preyed on by turtles and various fish. They feed on plankton, invertebrates, fish, and some crustaceans.
Chirodropidae is a family of venomous box jellyfish within the class Cubozoa. Like other members of the order Chirodropida, they have branched pedalia, in contrast to the unbranched pedalia of box jellyfish in the order Carybdeida. Each branch houses its own individual tentacle. Nematocyst composition and type can vary among individuals within this family based on body size and life stage. Like other box jellyfish, chirodropids can be found in coastal and shallow marine areas, but they have also been found to occur at benthic depths.
Alatina alata(Reynaud, 1830), often called a sea wasp, is a species of box jellyfish found in the Pacific, Indian and Atlantic Oceans and in the Caribbean and Arabian Sea.
Malo kingi or the common kingslayer is a species of Irukandji jellyfish. It was first described to science in 2007, and is one of four species in the genus Malo. It has some of the world's most potent venom, even though it is no bigger than a human thumbnail. As an Irukandji, it can cause Irukandji syndrome, characterized by severe pain, vomiting, and rapid rise in blood pressure.
Alatinidae is a family of box jellyfish within class Cubozoa, containing the following genera and species:
Chirodropida is an order of box jellyfishes. They can be distinguished from other box jellyfish by the presence of branched muscular bases at the corners of their cubic umbrella, and of small saccules associated with the gastric cavity. They typically have multiple tentacles at each corner.
Carukiidae is a family of box jellyfish within the Cubozoa class. Carukiidae can be easily classified by their lack of cirri clumps inside the cubozoan stomach, as well as the size and the placement of their nematocysts.
Malo maxima is a small, and extremely dangerous Irukandji Jellyfish that is known to cause Irukandji Syndrome. It is one of the four species of Malo, along with Malo bella, Malo filipina, and Malo kingi. The Malo maxima was first described in 2005 by Lisa-ann Gershwin, who also described the Malo bella and Malo kingi jellyfish along with over 200 other species of jellyfish. Malo maxima differs from other species of jellyfish in many ways but the most confusing one is that they swim more like fish than jellyfish, however the reason for this is still unknown.
Carybdea marsupialis, is a venomous species of box jellyfish, in the small family Carybdeidae within the class Cubozoa.
Alatina is a genus of box jellyfish within class Cubozoa. It is the largest of the three known genera in the family Alatinidae, and the only one which is not monotypic. It contains the following ten species:
Carukia shinju is a small and venomous jellyfish found off the waters of northwestern Australia. Specifically, located offshore of the coasts of Australian states including Queensland, The Northern Territory, Western Australia and South Australia.
Chiropsella bronzie is a species of box jellyfish. It is considered much less of a threat to humans than some of its relatives. The species was described in 2006, and is one of four species in the genus Chiropsella. Chiropsella bronzie can be found in shallow waters off the coast of Queensland, Australia.
Tamoya haplonema is a species of box jellyfish in the genus Tamoya. It is the type species of the genus and was described in 1859. The medusa possesses four tentacles, one each on an inter-radial pedal.