• Phylum Cnidaria (Free swimming or sessile, with tentacles surrounding the mouth.  Specialized cells bearing stinging organoids called nematocysts.  Solitary or colonial.  Marine few fresh water.)

  Subclass Alcyinaria  (Octocorallia)* Polyp with eight hollow marginal pinnate tentacles and eight mesenteries, single siphonoglyph.   Exclusivly marine

  • Order Stolonifera* (polyps arising from a creeping coenosarcal mat or stolon.  skeleton of calcareous tubes of separate calcareous spicules, or horny external cuticle.  Tropical and temperate oceans in shallow water.  Tubipora, Clavularia.)
  • Order Helioporacea* (Contains only the Indopacific Blue corals, having a massive, blue due to iron salts, calcareous skeleton.  Only two genera Epiphaxum and Heliopora*.)
  • Order Telestacea (Lateral polyps on simple or branched stems.  Skeleton of calcareous spicules.  Coelogorgia, Paratelsto, Telesto, Testula)
  • Order Alcyonacea* (Soft corals.  Coenenchyme forming a rubbery mass with upright elongated polyps completely embedded in the coenosarc.  Colony may have a massive mushroom shape or an encrusting growth form.  Skeleton of calcareous spicules.  Largely tropical.  Alcyonium*, Anthomastus, Ceratocaulon, Gersemia, Sarcophyton*, Lobophyton*, , Sinularia*, Capenella*, Cladella*)
  • Holaxonia (Gorgonacea)* (Horny corals.  Sea fans and sea whips.  Common tropical and subtropical octocorrallian cnidarians having a largely upright plant-like growth form and an axial skeleton of a horny organic material.  Separate or fused calcareous spicules may also be present.  Acanthogorgia, Briareum, Corallium, Eugorgia, Eunicella*, Gorgonia*, Leptogorgonia, Psammogorgia, Swiftia, Muricea)
  • Scleraxonia (Gorgonacea*) Precious corals.  Less common deeper tropical waters  Octocorrallian cnidarians having a largely upright plant-like growth form and an axial skeleton of a compacted spicules., Corallium*,
  • Order Pennatulacea * (Sea pens.  Colony having a fleshy flattened or elongate body, or rachis.  Skeleton of calcareous spicules.  Anthoptilum, Balticina, Cavernularia, Funiculina, Stylatula*, Veretillum, Renilla*, Umbellula, Virgularia)

     

September 29, 2013