Cnidarian Diversity

Phylum Cnidaria
Class Anthozoa
Corals Anemones

Class Hydrozoa

Class Scyphozoa

Class Cubozoa
Box jellies Sea wasps

Hydra True jellyfish Portuguese Man-Of-War Stinging Limu Fire Coral

Class Anthozoa

Subclass Hexacorallia

Subclass Alyconaria
Sea fans Sea whips Sea pens Organ pipe coral Precious gold coral

Order Zoanthidae
Zoanthids

Order Actinaria
Sea anemones

Order Scleractinia
Stony corals

Order Antipatharia
Precious black coral Wire coral

General Characteristics of Cnidaria

Stinging cells Two stages in life cycle (polyp & medusa) Blind sack gut Radial symmetry Diploblastic Hydrostatic skeleton Nerve net Many colonial, some solitary forms

Class Hydrozoa
(Gr. hydra, water serpent) polyps and medusa stage, although polyp stage is dominant.

gut cavity of polyp is simple, lacking a pharynx and not divided by mesenteries.
tetramerous (four-part) radial symmetry.

gonads are ectodermal (found in the epidermis).

medusa stage may possess specialized balance organs called statocysts and photosensitive organs called ocelli. solitary or colonials; some colonial forms highly polymorphic. includes hydroids (stinging limu), fire coral, pink coral, and siphonophores.

The Cnidarian Life Cycle

The Hydrozoan Life Cycle

Hydrozoan Colony

Hydrozoan Colonies
Stinging Limu

Hydrozoan Medusa

Hydrozoan Medusa

Hydrocorals

Fire Coral

By-the-Wind-Sailor A Floating Colony of Polyps

Coloniality
Man-of-War Phylum Cnidaria

Close Up of a Portuguese Man-Of-War

Class Scyphozoa

life cycle with both polyps and medusae, but medusae dominate with polyp stage reduced or absent.
polyp stage (scyphistoma) goes through strobilization to produce young medusa.

(Gr. skyphos, cup)

bell margin lacks a velum.

tetramerous (= four-part) radial symmetry. gut divided into a complex system of radial canals.

some with a simple single mouth, but many with thousands of microscopic mouths at the ends of oral arms.
gonads endodermal (found in the gastrodermis).

specialized sense organs called rhopalia with ocelli & statocysts .

includes some 200 marine species. "true" sea jellies.

Scyphozoan Life Cycle

scyphistoma

strobila

ephyra planula adult medusa

gametes

strobila

scyphistoma

Sea Jellies

Moon Jelly Anatomy

Class Cubozoa
(Gr. kybos, a cube)

polyps and medusae stages, but medusae dominate with polyp stage reduced.

polyp stage develops directly into medusa.

bell margin with a velarium. tetramerous (= four-part) radial symmetry; bell cubeshaped with tentacles arising from each corner. gonads endodermal (found in the gastrodermis). specialized sense organs called rhopalia with ocelli & statocysts . includes some 15 marine species. includes box jellies and sea wasps.

Seawasp

Box Jellies

Box Jelly Anatomy

Class Anthozoa
(Gr. anthos, flower)

lack medusa stage entirely (polyp forms only) mouth with a tubular pharynx that projects inward into the gut large gut cavity divided by mesenteries that radiate inwards from the body wall

gonads endodermal, borne on the mesenteries

hexamerous (6-part) or octamerous (8-part) radial symmetry or biradial (modified radial symmetry that limits the number of planes that can divide the body into equal halves includes sea anemones, true stony corals, sea fans, sea pens, organ pipe coral, precious black coral, & zoanthids

Subclass Zoantharia Order Actinaria Sea Anemones

Sea Anemone Anatomy

Subclass Hexacorallia Order Zoanthidae

No hard skeleton May be tough and leathery Shallow water forms Encrusting forms Some with zooxanthellae Polyp stage only

Subclass Hexacorallia Order Antipatheria

Black Coral & Wire Coral

Black coral

Wire coral

Subclass Hexacorallia Order Scleractinia True Stony Corals

Hermatypic- reef building, zooxanthellae Common species: Acroporidae- table Acroporidea- rice Agariciidae- flat lobe, corrugated Faviidae- crust, ocellated Fungiidae- humpback, mushroom Pocilloporidae- lace, antler, cauliflower Poritidae- finger, lobe, plate

True Stony Corals

lobe

finger

mushroom

Porites rus

Subclass Alyconaria Octocorals

8 branched tentacles surrounding the mouth Both hard and soft forms exist Ahermatypic- non reef building, no photosynthesis Five Orders found in Hawaii: 1. Stolonifera 2. Pennatulacea (sea pens) 3. Alcyonacea (soft corals) 4. Telestacae (snowflake corals) 5. Gorgonacea (sea fans)

Octocorals

Sea pen

Organ pipe coral