Cnidaria
Cnidaria
EOL Text
Cnidaria is prey of:
omnivores
coral feeders
Chaetognatha
Polychaeta
Engraulidae
Actinopterygii
Scaridae
Cheloniidae
Decapoda
Isopoda
Amphipoda
Pycnogonidae
Tanaidae
Asteroidea
Echinoidea
Gastropoda
Scaphopoda
Neoloricata
Priapula
Ophiuroidea
Pollachius pollachius
Urophycis regia
Urophycis tenuis
Urophycis chuss
Gadidae
Melanogrammus aeglefinus
Leucoraja ocellata
Mustelus canis
Squalus acanthias
Cynoscion
Pomatomus saltatrix
Odontoceti
Centropyge potteri
Caretta caretta
Fratercula cirrhata
Pomacanthus annularis
Based on studies in:
Marshall Islands (Reef)
Pacific (Marine)
USA, Northeastern US contintental shelf (Coastal)
Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico-Virgin Islands shelf (Reef)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- R. Hiatt and D. W. Strasburg, Ecological relationships of the fish fauna on coral reefs of the Marshall Islands, Ecol. Monogr. 30(1):65-127, from p. 125 (1960).
- M. E. Vinogradov and E. A. Shushkina, Some development patterns of plankton communities in the upwelling areas of the Pacific Ocean. Mar. Biol. 48:357-366, from p. 359 (1978).
- Link J (2002) Does food web theory work for marine ecosystems? Mar Ecol Prog Ser 230:19
- Opitz S (1996) Trophic interactions in Caribbean coral reefs. ICLARM Tech Rep 43, Manila, Philippines
- Myers, P., R. Espinosa, C. S. Parr, T. Jones, G. S. Hammond, and T. A. Dewey. 2006. The Animal Diversity Web (online). Accessed February 16, 2011 at http://animaldiversity.org. http://www.animaldiversity.org
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
Cnidaria preys on:
zooplankton
ciliates
meroplankton
Appendicularia
Doliolidae
Calanoida
Cyclopoidea
phytoplankton
Calanus
Pteropods
Copepoda
Crangon
Mysidae
Decapoda
Gammaridae
Hyperiidae
Caprellidae
Isopoda
Ammodytes marinus
Clupea harengus
Alosa pseudoharengus
Scomber
Peprilus triacanthus
Based on studies in:
Marshall Islands (Reef)
Pacific (Marine)
USA, Northeastern US contintental shelf (Coastal)
This list may not be complete but is based on published studies.
- R. Hiatt and D. W. Strasburg, Ecological relationships of the fish fauna on coral reefs of the Marshall Islands, Ecol. Monogr. 30(1):65-127, from p. 125 (1960).
- M. E. Vinogradov and E. A. Shushkina, Some development patterns of plankton communities in the upwelling areas of the Pacific Ocean. Mar. Biol. 48:357-366, from p. 359 (1978).
- Link J (2002) Does food web theory work for marine ecosystems? Mar Ecol Prog Ser 230:19
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Cynthia Sims Parr, Joel Sachs, SPIRE |
| Source | http://spire.umbc.edu/fwc/ |
The predators of corals include certain species of fish, gastropods, and sea stars. Jellyfish don’t have many predators, but among them are ocean sunfish, marine turtles, and some humans.
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| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/14029 |
Sexual and asexual reproduction are common among cnidarians, and there are many species that can reproduce via both methods. Asexual reproduction occurs by cloning and includes budding, fragmentation, and fission. Sexual reproduction occurs by external fertilization when adults – which are usually gonochoric (separate sexes), though some taxa are hermaphroditic – spawn gametes into the water. (Ruppert, Fox, & Barnes 2004)
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| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/14029 |
Anthozoa
- Exclusively marine
- No medusa stage
- Includes sea anemones, corals, sea fans, sea pens, sea pansies
Scyphozoa
- Exclusively marine
- Lifecycle includes conspicuous medusa phase (most of the “jellyfish”)
- Includes box jellies, stalked jellies, flag-mouth jellies, root-mouth jellies
Hydrozoa
- Marine species as well as freshwater species
- Most species are colonial and lifecyles may include polyp, medusae, or both.
- Colonial species include hydroids, Portuguese man-of-war, fire and rose corals. Solitary species include a few jellies and freshwater Hydra.
(Ruppert, Fox, & Barnes 2004)
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| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/14029 |
Barcode of Life Data Systems (BOLD) Stats
Specimen Records:14040
Specimens with Sequences:8302
Specimens with Barcodes:5541
Species:1702
Species With Barcodes:982
Public Records:5656
Public Species:689
Public BINs:705
The larval stage of cnidarians can cause a condition known as seabather's eruption. This should not be confused with cercarial dermatitis, which is caused by certain schistosomatid trematode flatworms (e.g., Austrobilharzia variglandis) that normally use birds and mammals other than humans as their definitive hosts. The areas of skin affected by seabather's eruption is generally under the garments worn by bathers and swimmers where the organisms are trapped after the person leaves the water. In contrast, cercarial dermatitis occurs on the exposed skin outside of close-fitting garments.
(Centers for Disease Control Parasites and Health website)
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| Rights holder/Author | Shapiro, Leo, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/14029 |
Cnidarians are a diverse group of aquatic animals. More than 9,000 species are part of the Phylum Cnidaria, and all species are aquatic. Cnidarians are widespread in marine habitats and less common in fresh water.
This interesting group of invertebrates includes many charismatic organisms such as hydras, sea fans, jellyfishes, sea anemones, corals, and the Portuguese man-of-war. Cnidarians all have some type of specialized stinging cell organelle.
Cnidarians' bodies typically take one of two forms: the polyp or the medusa. While the polyp form is adapted for a sedentary or sessile lifestyle, the medusa form is adapted for floating or free-swimming. Sea anemones and corals (class Anthoza) are all polyps. True jellyfishes (class Scyphozoa) are all medusae, though some have a polyp larval stage. Notably, some hydroids (class Hydrozoa) alternate between polyp and medusa forms throughout their lives.
National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) at http://www.nbii.gov
- National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) at http://www.nbii.gov
Worldwide.
| License | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ |
| Rights holder/Author | Soulanille, Elaine, Soulanille, Elaine, EOL Rapid Response Team |
| Source | http://eolspecies.lifedesks.org/pages/14029 |