Corallimorpharia

Corallimorpharia
Scientific classification
Kingdom:Animalia
Phylum:Cnidaria
Class:Anthozoa
Subclass:Hexacorallia
Order:Corallimorpharia
Stephenson, 1937[1]
Families[2]
Synonyms
  • Coralliomorpharia

Corallimorpharia is an order of marine cnidarians closely related to stony or reef building corals (Scleractinia). They are mostly tropical, with a narrow column topped with a wide oral disc. The tentacles are usually short or very short, arranged in rows radiating from the mouth. Many species occur together in large groups. In many respects, they resemble the stony corals, except for the absence of a stony skeleton.

Corallimorpharians occur in a wide range of marine habitats, and are associated with phase shifts in coral reef ecosystems that result in a change from a hard-coral dominated reef to a soft-coral dominated one. Many species are also common invertebrates kept in marine aquaria.

Taxonomy

According to World Register of Marine Species, this order contains 46 species within 11 genera:

  • Family Corallimorphidae Hertwig, 1882
  • Family Discosomidae Verrill, 1869
    • Genus Amplexidiscus Dunn & Hamner, 1980 -- 1 species
    • Genus Discosoma Rüppell & Leuckart, 1828 -- 11 species
    • Genus Metarhodactis Carlgren, 1943 -- 1 species
    • Genus Platyzoanthus Saville-Kent, 1893 -- 1 species
    • Genus Rhodactis Milne Edwards & Haime, 1851 -- 7 species
  • Family Ricordeidae Watzl, 1922
    • Genus Ricordea Duchassaing de Fonbressin & Michelotti, 1860 -- 2 species
  • Family Sideractinidae Danielssen, 1890
    • Genus Nectactis Gravier, 1918 -- 1 species
    • Genus Sideractis Danielssen, 1890 -- 1 species

References

  1. ↑ "Corallimorpharia". Integrated Taxonomic Information System. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  2. ↑ WoRMS (2011). "Corallimorpharia". World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved 2011-12-15.
  • UFL Zoology - Cnidaria
  • Barnes, Robert D. (1982). Invertebrate Zoology. Philadelphia, PA: Holt-Saunders International. p. 170. ISBN 0-03-056747-5.

Data related to Discosomatidae at Wikispecies


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