| Crown jellyfishes | |
|---|---|
) | |
| Nausithoe aurea | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Scyphozoa |
| Order: | Coronatae Vanhöffen, 1892 |
Crown jellyfishes are the six families of true jellyfish that belong to the order Coronatae.[1][2] They are distinguished from other jellyfish by the presence of a deep groove running around the umbrella, giving them the crown shape from which they take their name. Many of the species in the order inhabit deep sea environments.[3]
Crown jellyfish are able to make light through bioluminescence. 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.[4]
Families
As of 2016, 53 recognized extant species were in the order Coronatae, spread throughout 12 genera.[1] These belong in the following six families:[1][2]
- Atollidae (Bigelow, 1913)— one genus, seven species
- Atorellidae (Vanhöffen, 1902)— one genus, five species
- Coronatae incertae sedis — one genus, four species
- Linuchidae (Haeckel, 1880)— two genera, three species
- Nausithoidae (Claus, 1883)— three genera, 26 species
- Paraphyllinidae (Mass, 1903)— one genus, three species
- Periphyllidae (Haeckel)— four genera, six species
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Atolla wyvillei
Nausithoe punctata
Periphylla periphylla
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References
- ^ a b c 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
- ^ a b "Coronatae". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 4 August 2012.
- ^ Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. p. 149. ISBN 0-03-056747-5.
- ^ Judson, Olivia (2015). "Luminous Life". National Geographic. Vol. 227 no. 3. pp. 72–85. ISSN 0027-9358. OCLC 5827282057.