|
Carybdea Branchi
''Carybdea branchi'', the South African box jellyfish, is a venomous species of cnidarian, in the small family Carybdeidae within the class Cubozoa. Description This small box jellyfish grows up to across and may have tentacles of up to in total length. It has a transparent box-shaped bell with a very long tentacle trailing from each corner.Branch, G.M., Branch, M.L, Griffiths, C.L. and Beckley, L.E. 2010. ''Two Oceans: a guide to the marine life of southern Africa''. . The C. branchi is described as being robust and having a well sculpted in particular, single rooted with multiple stems, velarial canals 2 per octant, pedalia knee bend upwards turned volcano shaped. Also known to have a brownish pigmentation of the phacellae and pedalia. Distribution This jellyfish is found from the north of Namibia and around the South African coast to Port Elizabeth from the surface to a depth of at least underwater. Ecology This jellyfish is often seen in swarms. The tentacles have a pai ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Carybdeidae
''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. Classification Class This genus of venomous box jellyfish is categorized in the class Cubozoa. Cubozoans are referred to as box jellyfish due to the fact that when viewing t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Venom (poison)
Venom or zootoxin is a type of toxin produced by an animal that is actively delivered through a wound by means of a bite, sting, or similar action. The toxin is delivered through a specially evolved ''venom apparatus'', such as fangs or a stinger, in a process called envenomation. Venom is often distinguished from poison, which is a toxin that is passively delivered by being ingested, inhaled, or absorbed through the skin, and toxungen, which is actively transferred to the external surface of another animal via a physical delivery mechanism. Venom has evolved in terrestrial and marine environments and in a wide variety of animals: both predators and prey, and both vertebrates and invertebrates. Venoms kill through the action of at least four major classes of toxin, namely necrotoxins and cytotoxins, which kill cells; neurotoxins, which affect nervous systems; myotoxins, which damage muscles; and haemotoxins, which disrupt blood clotting. Venomous animals cause tens of thousa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate sexes or mating types can produce fertile offspring, typically by sexual reproduction. Other ways of defining species include their karyotype, DNA sequence, morphology, behaviour or ecological niche. In addition, paleontologists use the concept of the chronospecies since fossil reproduction cannot be examined. The most recent rigorous estimate for the total number of species of eukaryotes is between 8 and 8.7 million. However, only about 14% of these had been described by 2011. All species (except viruses) are given a two-part name, a "binomial". The first part of a binomial is the genus to which the species belongs. The second part is called the specific name or the specific epithet (in botanical nomenclature, also sometimes i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cnidarian
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. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick. Cnidarians mostly have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mouths surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. Both forms have a single orifice and body cavity that are used for digestion and respiration. Many cnidarian species produce colonies that are single organisms composed of medusa-like or polyp-like zooids, or both (hence they are trimorphic). Cnidarians' activities are coordinated by a decentralized nerve net and simple receptors. Several free-swimming species of Cubozoa and ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Family (biology)
Family ( la, familia, plural ') is one of the eight major hierarchical taxonomic ranks in Linnaean taxonomy. It is classified between order and genus. A family may be divided into subfamilies, which are intermediate ranks between the ranks of family and genus. The official family names are Latin in origin; however, popular names are often used: for example, walnut trees and hickory trees belong to the family Juglandaceae, but that family is commonly referred to as the "walnut family". What belongs to a family—or if a described family should be recognized at all—are proposed and determined by practicing taxonomists. There are no hard rules for describing or recognizing a family, but in plants, they can be characterized on the basis of both vegetative and reproductive features of plant species. Taxonomists often take different positions about descriptions, and there may be no broad consensus across the scientific community for some time. The publishing of new data and opin ... [...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 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 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 Cubozoa * Order Carybdeida ** Family Alatinidae ** Family Carukiidae ** Family Carybdeidae ** Family Tamoyidae ** Family Tripedaliidae * Order Chirodropida ** Family Chirodropidae ** Family Chiropsalmidae ** Family Chiropsellidae Description The medusa form of a box jel ... [...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 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 Cubozoa * Order Carybdeida ** Family Alatinidae ** Family Carukiidae ** Family Carybdeidae ** Family Tamoyidae ** Family Tripedaliidae * Order Chirodropida ** Family Chirodropidae ** Family Chiropsalmidae ** Family Chiropsellidae Description The medusa form of a box jellyf ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Port Elizabeth
Gqeberha (), formerly Port Elizabeth and colloquially often referred to as P.E., is a major seaport and the most populous city in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It is the seat of the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality, South Africa's second-largest metropolitan district by area size. It is the sixth-most populous city in South Africa and is the cultural, economic and financial centre of the Eastern Cape. The city was founded as Port Elizabeth in 1820 by Sir Rufane Donkin, who was the governor of the Cape at the time. He named it after his late wife, Elizabeth, who had died in India. The Donkin memorial in the CBD of the city bears testament to this. Port Elizabeth was established by the government of the Cape Colony when 4,000 British colonists settled in Algoa Bay to strengthen the border region between the Cape Colony and the Xhosa. It is nicknamed "The Friendly City" or "The Windy City". In 2019, the Eastern Cape Geographical Names Committee recommende ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Molidae
The Molidae comprise the family of the molas or ocean sunfishes, unusual fish whose bodies come to an end just behind the dorsal and anal fins, giving them a "half-fish" appearance. They are also the largest of the ray-finned bony fish, with the southern sunfish, ''Mola alexandrini'', recorded at in length and in weight. Description Molidae have the fewest vertebrae of any fish, with only 16 in ''Mola mola''. They also completely lack all caudal bones, and most of their skeleton is made of cartilage. No bony plates occur in the skin, which is, however, thick and dense like cartilage and is fairly rough. They also lack swim bladders. Molids mostly swim by using their anal and dorsal fins; the pectoral fins are probably just stabilizers. To steer, they squirt a strong jet of water out of their mouths or gills. They can also make minor adjustments in the orientation of the anal fin or the dorsal fin so as to control the amount of force it produces and the angle at which the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ocean Sunfish
The ocean sunfish or common mola (''Mola mola'') is one of the largest bony fish in the world. It was misidentified as the heaviest bony fish, which was actually a different species, ''Mola alexandrini''. Adults typically weigh between . The species is native to tropical and temperate waters around the world. It resembles a fish head without a tail, and its main body is flattened laterally. Sunfish can be as tall as they are long when their dorsal and ventral fins are extended. Sunfish are generalist predators that consume largely small fish, fish larvae, squid, and crustaceans. Sea jellies and salps, once thought to be the primary prey of sunfish, make up only 15% of a sunfish's diet. Females of the species can produce more eggs than any other known vertebrate, up to 300,000,000 at a time. Sunfish fry resemble miniature pufferfish, with large pectoral fins, a tail fin, and body spines uncharacteristic of adult sunfish. Adult sunfish are vulnerable to few natural predators, b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mola Ramsayi
The giant sunfish or bumphead sunfish (''Mola alexandrini''), also known as the Ramsay's sunfish, southern sunfish, southern ocean sunfish, short sunfish or bump-head sunfish in many parts of the world,Diane J. Bray, 2011, Short Sunfish, or even. Mola ramsayi, in Fishes of Australia, accessed 02 Feb 2014, http://www.fishesofaustralia.net.au/home/species/784 is a fish belonging to the family Molidae. It is closely related to its congener, the more widely known ''Mola mola'', and is found in the Southern Hemisphere. With a specimen found dead near Azores in 2021 weighing in at 2744 kg (6049 lb) it clearly is the largest extant bony fish species in terms of maximum recorded mass. It can be found basking on its side occasionally near the surface, which is thought to be used to re-heat themselves after diving in cold water for prey, recharge their oxygen stores, and attract gulls to free them of parasites. Taxonomy In December 2017, it was demonstrated that ''Mola alexandrini'' m ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Slender Sunfish
The slender sunfish (''Ranzania laevis'') is a mola of the family Molidae, the only extant member of the genus ''Ranzania'',Matsuura, K. (2014): Taxonomy and systematics of tetraodontiform fishes: a review focusing primarily on progress in the period from 1980 to 2014. ''Ichthyological Research, 62 (1): 72-113.'' found globally in tropical and temperate seas. Its length is up to 1 m (3.3 ft). Several stranding and mass stranding events have occurred on beaches near Albany, Western Australia. The first South Australian specimen was found at Aldinga in 1944. A cast was made from it, and a replica was made, painted and prepared for display at the South Australian museum that year. Several other individuals have stranded in South Australia at Port Willunga, Netley and West Beach West Beach may refer to: ;Australia *West Beach, South Australia * West Beach, Western Australia ;United States * West Beach (Santa Barbara), California * West Beach, Beverly, Massachusetts ; ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
