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Siphonophore
Siphonophorae (from Greek ''siphōn'' 'tube' + ''pherein'' 'to bear') is an order within Hydrozoa, which is a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. According to the World Register of Marine Species, the order contains 175 species thus far. Although a siphonophore may appear to be an individual organism, each specimen is in fact a colonial organism composed of medusoid and polypoid zooids that are morphologically and functionally specialized. Zooids are multicellular units that develop from a single fertilized egg and combine to create functional colonies able to reproduce, digest, float, maintain body positioning, and use jet propulsion to move. Most colonies are long, thin, transparent floaters living in the pelagic zone. Like other hydrozoans, some siphonophores emit light to attract and attack prey. While many sea animals produce blue and green bioluminescence, a siphonophore in the genus ''Erenna'' was only the second life form found to produce a red lig ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Calycophorae
Calycophorae is a suborder of Siphonophores alongside two other suborders Physonectae and Cystonectae. This suborder includes the giant siphonophore, (''Praya dubia''); one of the longest lengthwise extant creatures (40–50m). While the Physonectae have a pneumatophore (a float), nectophore (or nectosome), and a siphosome, Cystonectae lack a nectophore, and Calycophorae lack a pneumatophore. From the bell-shaped nectophores, Physonectae and Calycophorae are called Codonophores or Greek for bell-bearers. The distribution, morphology, and behaviors of Calycophorae species are vast and greatly depend on the species. Calycophoraes typically consist of two nectophores with a siphosome that have many tentacles that grow out of the siphosome. The Calycophoraes move by propelling water out of the nectophore much like how jellyfishes move. The tentacles act as fishing nets where the nematocysts on the tentacles paralyze their prey which are then later fed on. Calycophorae have three life ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bathyphysa Conifera
''Bathyphysa conifera'', sometimes called the flying spaghetti monster, is a bathypelagic species of siphonophore in the family Rhizophysidae. Name ''Bathyphysa conifera'' was nicknamed the Flying Spaghetti Monster, for the satirical deity of the Internet, by the oil workers who first saw it. The specific epithet ''conifera'', meaning 'cone-bearing', is due to the shape of the cluster of reproductive structures called gonophores. In Japanese it is called / / ', "jewel leek". In Chinese, the nickname "Flying Spaghetti Monster" can be translated as ' "flying noodles monster". Distribution ''Bathyphysa conifera'' has been found in the Northeast and Northwest Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Gabon and as far south as Angola,Jones, Daniel O.B., Gates, A.R., Curry, R.A., Thomson, M., Pile, A., Benfield, M. (Eds) (2009). SERPENT project. Media database archive. Available online at http://archive.serpentproject.com/2621/ accessed on Fri Sep 01 2017 and in Monterey Bay in the Pa ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cystonectae
Cystonectae is a suborder of siphonophores.Schuchert, P. (2019). World Hydrozoa Database. Cystonectae. Accessed through: World Register of Marine Species at: http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=135334 on 2019-03-11 It includes the Portuguese man o' war (''Physalia physalis'') and ''Bathyphysa conifera'', sometimes called the "flying spaghetti monster." In Japanese, it is called (). The typical cystonect body plan has a pneumatophore (float) and siphosome (line of polyps) but no nectosome (propulsion medusae 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- ...). References Siphonophorae Cnidarian suborders Taxa named by Ernst Haeckel Taxa described in 1887 {{Siphonophorae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Physonectae
Physonectae is a suborder of siphonophores. In Japanese it is called (). Organisms in the suborder Physonectae follow the classic Siphonophore body plan. They are almost all pelagic, and are composed of a colony of specialized zooids that originate from the same fertilized egg. While Physonectae are not generally well-known by the public, a related species also of the order Siphonophorae is the Portuguese man o' war, well-known for its painful sting. Distribution The majority of physonect siphonophores are pelagic, with the exception of Rhodallidae, which are a family of benthic physonects first collected during the ''Challenger'' expedition and described by Ernst Haekel in his ''Challenger'' monograph. Physonects, and siphonophores in general, are known to be widely distributed globally, but are understudied. Few individuals have been collected and are often misidentified. As a result, their exact global distributions are unclear. Morphology All physonect siphonophor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Praya Dubia
The ''Praya dubia'', or giant siphonophore, is an invertebrate which lives in the deep sea at to below sea level. It has been found off the coasts around the world, from Iceland in the North Atlantic, to Chile in the South Pacific. ''Praya dubia'' is a member of the order Siphonophorae within the class Hydrozoa. With a body length of up to , it is the second-longest sea organism after the bootlace worm. Its length also rivals the blue whale, the sea’s largest mammal, although ''Praya dubia'' is as thin as a broomstick. A siphonophore is not a single, multi-cellular organism, but a colony of tiny biological components called zooids, each having evolved with a specific function. Zooids cannot survive on their own, relying on symbiosis in order for a complete ''Praya dubia'' specimen to survive. Description ''Praya dubia'' zooids arrange themselves in a long stalk—usually whitish and transparent (though other colours have been seen)—known as a physonect colony. The larger ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cnidaria
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 Scyphozo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bioluminescence
Bioluminescence is the production and emission of light by living organisms. It is a form of chemiluminescence. Bioluminescence occurs widely in marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms including some bioluminescent bacteria, and terrestrial arthropods such as fireflies. In some animals, the light is bacteriogenic, produced by symbiotic bacteria such as those from the genus ''Vibrio''; in others, it is autogenic, produced by the animals themselves. In a general sense, the principal chemical reaction in bioluminescence involves a light-emitting molecule and an enzyme, generally called luciferin and luciferase, respectively. Because these are generic names, luciferins and luciferases are often distinguished by the species or group, e.g. firefly luciferin. In all characterized cases, the enzyme catalyzes the oxidation of the luciferin. In some species, the luciferase requires other cofactors, such as calcium or magnesium ions, and somet ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Apolemia
''Apolemia'' is a genus of siphonophores. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Apolemiidae. Despite appearing to be a single multicellular organism, they are actually a floating colony of polyps and medusoids, collectively known as zooids. Discovery The genus ''Apolemia'', named by Baltic-German physician and naturalist Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz, was first documented in 1815 with the discovery and description of '' Apolemia uvaria'' (the "string jellyfish"), by French naturalist Charles Alexandre Lesueur off the coast of Europe. It was displaying a net-like feeding pattern in the pelagic zone, and was documented to have rows of nematocysts. Few species have been well-defined within the genus otherwise. Feeding ''Apolemia'' are carnivorous invertebrates, which have been documented to feed on small fish, crustaceans, copepods, other plankton, and even other siphonophores. They do so by extending long, curtain-like nematocyst rows into the water column, for prey to b ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Rhizophysa Eysenhardtii
''Rhizophysa'' is a genus of cnidarians belonging to the family Rhizophysidae. The species of this genus are found in Malesia, Northern America. Species: *''Rhizophysa chamissonis'' *''Rhizophysa eysenhardtii'' *''Rhizophysa filiformis'' *''Rhizophysa uvaria ''Rhizophysa'' is a genus of cnidarians belonging to the family Rhizophysidae. The species of this genus are found in Malesia, Northern America. Species: *''Rhizophysa chamissonis'' *''Rhizophysa eysenhardtii'' *''Rhizophysa filiformis ''Rh ...'' References Rhizophysidae Hydrozoan genera {{Siphonophorae-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Polyp (zoology)
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 (opposite to oral) 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. Classes In the class Anthozoa, comprising the sea anemones and corals, the individual is always a polyp; in the class Hydrozoa, however, the individual may be either a polyp or a medusa, with most species undergoing a life cycle with both a polyp stage and a medusa stage. In class Scyphozoa, the medusa stage is dominant, and the polyp stage may or may not be present, depending on the family. In those scyphozoans that have the larval planula metamorphose into a polyp, the polyp, a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Pelagic Zone
The pelagic zone consists of the water column of the open ocean, and can be further divided into regions by depth (as illustrated on the right). The word ''pelagic'' is derived . The pelagic zone can be thought of as an imaginary cylinder or water column between the surface of the sea and the bottom. Conditions in the water column change with depth: pressure increases; temperature and light decrease; salinity, oxygen, micronutrients (such as iron, magnesium and calcium) all change. Marine life is affected by bathymetry (underwater topography) such as the seafloor, shoreline, or a submarine seamount, as well as by proximity to the boundary between the ocean and the atmosphere at the ocean surface, which brings light for photosynthesis, predation from above, and wind stirring up waves and setting currents in motion. The pelagic zone refers to the open, free waters away from the shore, where marine life can swim freely in any direction unhindered by topographical constraints. Th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zooid
A zooid or zoöid is a single animal that is part of a colonial animal. This lifestyle has been adopted by animals from separate unrelated taxa. Zooids are multicellular; their structure is similar to that of other solitary animals. The zooids can either be directly connected by tissue (e.g. corals, Catenulida, Siphonophorae, Pyrosome or Ectoprocta) or share a common exoskeleton (e.g. Bryozoa or Pterobranchia). The colonial organism as a whole is called a ''zoon'' , plural ''zoa'' (from Ancient Greek meaning animal; plural , ). Zooids can exhibit polymorphism. For instance, extant bryozoans may have zooids adapted for different functions, such as feeding, anchoring the colony to the substratum and for brooding embryos. However, fossil bryozoans are only known by the colony structures that the zooids formed during life. There are correlations between the size of some zooids and temperature. Variations in zooid size within colonies of fossils can be used as an indicator of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
