Crown jellyfishes are the six
families
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideall ...
of
true jellyfish
The Scyphozoa are an exclusively marine class of the phylum Cnidaria, referred to as the true jellyfish (or "true jellies").
The class name Scyphozoa comes from the Greek word ''skyphos'' (), denoting a kind of drinking cup and alluding to the ...
that belong to the
order Coronatae.
[Daly, Brugler, Cartwright, Collins, Dawson, Fautin, France, McFadden, Opresko, Rodriguez, Romano & Stake (2007). ]
The phylum Cnidaria: A review of phylogenetic patterns and diversity 300 years after Linnaeus.
' Zootaxa 1668: 127–182 They are distinguished from other jellyfish by the presence of a deep groove running around the umbrella, giving them the
crown
A crown is a traditional form of head adornment, or hat, worn by monarchs as a symbol of their power and dignity. A crown is often, by extension, a symbol of the monarch's government or items endorsed by it. The word itself is used, partic ...
shape from which they take their name. Many of the species in the order inhabit deep sea environments.
Crown jellyfish are able to make light through
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 b ...
. When they are touched, their bells will light up. Otherwise, the bell of a crown jellyfish will look transparent when undisturbed. When they are attacked, crown jellyfish are able to startle, mislead, and distract their predators with the light that they produce. They may also use their bioluminescence to lure or dazzle their prey.
Families
, 53 recognized
extant
Extant is the opposite of the word extinct. It may refer to:
* Extant hereditary titles
* Extant literature, surviving literature, such as ''Beowulf'', the oldest extant manuscript written in English
* Extant taxon, a taxon which is not extinct, ...
species were in the order Coronatae, spread throughout 12 genera.
[ These belong in the following six families:][
* Atollidae (Bigelow, 1913)— one genus, seven species
* ]Atorellidae
''Atorella'' is a genus of crown jellyfish. It is the only genus in the monotypic family Atorellidae and includes five species. Members of this family are known from the eastern coast of Africa and the western coast of Panama.
Characteristics
Me ...
(Vanhöffen, 1902)— one genus, five species
* Coronatae incertae sedis — one genus, four species
* Linuchidae
Linuchidae is a family of crown jellyfish.
Species
*''Linuche
''Linuche'' is a genus of cnidarians belonging to the family Linuchidae.
The species of this genus are found in America and Southeastern Asia.
Species:
*''Liniscus cyamopterus'' ...
(Haeckel
Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, naturalist, eugenicist, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biologist and artist. He discovered, described and named thousands of new sp ...
, 1880)— two genera, three species
* Nausithoidae
Nausithoidae is a family of jellyfish.
Genera
*''Nausithoe''
** '' Nausithoe albatrossi'' (Maas, 1897)
** '' Nausithoe atlantica'' (Broch, 1914)
** ''Nausithoe aurea'' Da Silveira & Morandini, 1997
** '' Nausithoe challengeri'' (Haeckel, 1880)
* ...
(Claus, 1883)— three genera, 26 species
* Paraphyllinidae (Mass, 1903)— one genus, three species
* Periphyllidae (Haeckel)— four genera, six species
Image:Atolla wyvillei (Operation Deep Scope 2004).jpg, '' Atolla wyvillei''
Image:Medusae of world-vol03 fig352-353 Nausithoë punctata.jpg, ''Nausithoe punctata
In Greek mythology, the Nereids or Nereides ( ; grc, Νηρηΐδες, Nērēḯdes; , also Νημερτές) are sea nymphs (female spirits of sea waters), the 50 daughters of the 'Old Man of the Sea' Nereus and the Oceanid Doris, sisters ...
''
Image:Haeckel Peromedusae.jpg, '' Periphylla periphylla''
References
{{Medusozoa-stub