Tubularia | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Hydrozoa |
Order: | Anthoathecata |
Family: | Tubulariidae |
Genus: | Tubularia Linnaeus, 1758 |
Species | |
Tubularia is a genus of hydroids resembling furry pink tufts or balls at the end of long strings, owing to the common names "pink-mouthed" or "pink-hearted" hydroids.
The average height of an individual colony is 40–60 mm and the diameter of the polyp and tentacles is 10mm. Tubularia indivisa and Ectopleura larynx may be difficult to distinguish and the two often grow together. In E. larynx the stems branch while in T. indivisa they are unbranched. [1] Tubularia occurs either solitary or in colonies, both being dioecious; possessing large, brilliantly coloured, flowerlike hydrants. Medusae remain attached to the hypostome in clusters, never being dispersed. These animals represent structures of the ancestral coelenterate.[ citation needed ]
During the summer time, sperm are released into the water and attracted to female reproductive structures by means of a chemical substance. Internal fertilization occurs in the female medusoids. The fertilized eggs develop into actinula. [2] These larvae develop directly into a new polyp. Although the medusa are attached to the polyp, the life cycle resembles that of typical Cnidarian with the polyp reproducing asexually and the medusa producing egg and sperm. [3]
A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are roughly cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the vase-shaped body. In solitary polyps, the aboral end is attached to the substrate by means of a disc-like holdfast called a pedal disc, while in colonies of polyps it is connected to other polyps, either directly or indirectly. The oral end contains the mouth, and is surrounded by a circlet of tentacles.
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish.
Hydrozoa are a taxonomic class of individually very small, predatory animals, some solitary and some colonial, most of which inhabit saline water. The colonies of the colonial species can be large, and in some cases the specialized individual animals cannot survive outside the colony. A few genera within this class live in freshwater habitats. Hydrozoans are related to jellyfish and corals and belong to the phylum Cnidaria.
Obelia is a genus of hydrozoans, a class of mainly marine and some freshwater animal species that have both polyp and medusa stages in their life cycle. Hydrozoa belongs to the phylum Cnidaria, which are aquatic organisms that are relatively simple in structure. There are 120 known species in this genus with more being discovered. These species are grouped into three broad categories: O. bidentada, O. dichotoma, and O. geniculata. O. longissima was later accepted as a legitimate species, but taxonomy regarding the entire genus is debated over.
Turritopsis dohrnii, also known as the immortal jellyfish, is a species of small, biologically immortal jellyfish found worldwide in temperate to tropic waters. It is one of the few known cases of animals capable of reverting completely to a sexually immature, colonial stage after having reached sexual maturity as a solitary individual. Others include the jellyfish Laodicea undulata and species of the genus Aurelia.
Chrysaora hysoscella, the compass jellyfish, is a common species of jellyfish that inhabits coastal waters in temperate regions of the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, including the North Sea and Mediterranean Sea. In the past it was also recorded in the southeastern Atlantic, including South Africa, but this was caused by confusion with close relatives; C. africana, C. fulgida and an undescribed species tentatively referred to as "C. agulhensis".
The Pacific sea nettle, or West Coast sea nettle, is a common planktonic scyphozoan that lives in the eastern Pacific Ocean from Canada to Mexico.
Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine organisms of the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the anemone, a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, class Anthozoa, subclass Hexacorallia. As cnidarians, sea anemones are related to corals, jellyfish, tube-dwelling anemones, and Hydra. Unlike jellyfish, sea anemones do not have a medusa stage in their life cycle.
Spawn is the eggs and sperm released or deposited into water by aquatic animals. As a verb, to spawn refers to the process of releasing the eggs and sperm, and the act of both sexes is called spawning. Most aquatic animals, except for aquatic mammals and reptiles, reproduce through the process of spawning.
The reproductive system of an organism, also known as the genital system, is the biological system made up of all the anatomical organs involved in sexual reproduction. Many non-living substances such as fluids, hormones, and pheromones are also important accessories to the reproductive system. Unlike most organ systems, the sexes of differentiated species often have significant differences. These differences allow for a combination of genetic material between two individuals, which allows for the possibility of greater genetic fitness of the offspring.
Tubularia indivisa, or oaten pipes hydroid, is a species of large hydroid native to the northeastern Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, Norwegian Sea, and the English Channel. The conical solitary polyps are found on dull yellow unbranched stems that reach 10 to 15 cm in height with a diameter of 1.5 cm (0.59 in). They may be fused to a small number of other individual stems at their bases. The pinkish to red polyps resemble flowers, having two concentric rings of tentacles, with the outer rings being paler and longer than the inner ring. At the center is a pale pink gonotheca. They are preyed upon by nudibranchs.
Obelia longissima is a colonial species of hydrozoan in the order Leptomedusae. Its hydroid form grows as feathery stems resembling seaweed from a basal stolon. It is found in many temperate and cold seas world-wide but is absent from the tropics.
The tubular hydroid is a species of hydroid cnidarian, and is found in temperate coastal waters. It is a member of the family Tubulariidae.
Catriona aurantia is a species of sea slug, an aeolid nudibranch, a marine gastropod mollusk in the family Trinchesiidae. It was incorrectly synonymised with Catriona gymnota from the Western Atlantic but shown to be a distinct species by DNA analysis.
Aplanulata is a suborder of Hydrozoa, a class of marine and freshwater invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria. The group have lost its planula larval stage, and the only remnants of the medusa stage is when they functions as gonophores attached to the polyp.
Pennaria disticha, also known as the Christmas tree hydroid, is a species of athecate hydroid in the family Pennariidae. Colonies are common in the Mediterranean Sea growing on rocks close to the surface. This species has been used in research into prey capture.
Ectopleura larynx, or ringed tubularia, is a hydroid in the family Tubulariidae.
Turritopsis rubra, sometimes known as the crimson jelly, is a species of hydrozoan of the family Oceaniidae. Medusae of such species are informally called jellyfish.
Obelia dichotoma is a broadly distributed, mainly marine but sometimes freshwater, colonial hydrozoan in the order Leptothecata that forms regular branching stems and a distinctive hydrotheca. O. dichotoma can be found in climates from the arctic to the tropics in protected waters such as marches and creeks but not near open coasts like beaches in depths up to 250m. O. dichotoma uses asexual and sexual reproduction and feeds on mainly zooplankton and fecal pellets. Obelia dichotoma has a complex relationship with the ecosystem and many economic systems.