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Cnidaria
Physalia physalis
EOL Text
The Portuguese Man-of-War is the sole member of the Siphonophora with a unisexual colony; it is distinguished by a contractile, horizontal float. Although Siphonophora are generally considered to be the most specialized hydrozoans, some researchers claim that it is in fact the most primitive order, with the medusa and the polyp not fully differentiated. Additional support for this view comes from the observation that the regenerative powers of the man-of-war are poor, in contrast to most other jellyfish.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Physalia_physalis/ |
Physalia physalis also known as the Portuguese Man O' War is commonly mistaken for a jellyfish. "The Portuguese man-of-war is a siphonophore, an animal that is made up of a colony of organisms working together. The name comes from the uppermost polyp, a gas filled bladder, or pneumatophore, which sits above the water and somewhat looks like an old warship at full sail. They are also, known as bluebottles for the purple-blue color of their pneumatophores" (A Portuguese man of war). The tentacles can extend to 165 feet, although, the average length is 30 feet (Portuguese Man-of War Physalia physalis).
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | LaPenna, Tara, LaPenna, Tara, EOL Interns LifeDesk |
Source | http://eolinterns.lifedesks.org/pages/2489 |
pleustonic
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License |
Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=135479 |
The following is a representative barcode sequence, the centroid of all available sequences for this species.
There is 1 barcode sequence available from BOLD and GenBank.
Below is the sequence of the barcode region Cytochrome oxidase subunit 1 (COI or COX1) from a member of the species.
See the BOLD taxonomy browser for more complete information about this specimen.
Other sequences that do not yet meet barcode criteria may also be available.
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Physalia physalis is also known as the Portuguese man-of-war. It is a siphonophore, an animal that is made up of a colony of organisms working together, with individual polyps specialized for movement, catching prey, feeding and breeding. The name comes from the uppermost polyp, a gas filled bladder, or pneumatophore, which sits above the water and somewhat looks like an old warship at full sail.
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Catherine Sutera, Catherine Sutera |
Source | No source database. |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLDS) Stats
Public Records: 1
Specimens with Barcodes: 2
Species With Barcodes: 1
Genomic DNA is available from 2 specimens with morphological vouchers housed at British Antarctic Survey
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | Text can be freely copied and altered, as long as original author and source are properly acknowledged. |
Source | http://www.oglf.org/catalog/details.php?id=T00362 |
mainly (sub)tropical
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 License |
Source | http://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=135479 |
Physalia physalis is not especially rare, and not considered to need special conservation effort at this time.
US Federal List: no special status
CITES: no special status
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Physalia_physalis/ |
This species has been found in the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, the Caribbean, and the Sargasso Sea. It floats on or near the surface of the water.
Biogeographic Regions: indian ocean (Native ); atlantic ocean (Native ); pacific ocean (Native )
License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
Rights holder/Author | ©1995-2013, The Regents of the University of Michigan and its licensors |
Source | http://animaldiversity.ummz.umich.edu/accounts/Physalia_physalis/ |