Cubomedusae

Class - Cubozoa (Werner 1975)

Order - Cubomedusae (Haeckel 1877)

Characteristics of the Order (from Kramp 1961)

Scyphomedusae with umbrella margin not cleft into lappets; with four interradial tentacles or groups of tentacles situated on gelatinous, wing-shaped or spatula-shaped structures (pedalia); with four perradial sense organs situated within niches on the sides of the bell; with four wide perradial sacs extending outwards from the central stomach into the subumbrellar cavity, incompletely separated by interradial septa; with four pairs of leaf-shaped gonads attached along the interradial septa and extending into the gastrovascular space; the opening of the bell cavity partly closed by an annular diaphragm (velarium).

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The taxonomic rank and phylogenetic position of the box jellyfishes has been much debated. They were originally considered to be an order (Cubomedusae Haeckel 1877) in the Class Scyphozoa (e.g. Mayer 1910; Kramp 1961). In the mid-1970's, however, they were given the status of a class (Cubozoa Werner 1975; see also Mianzan & Cornelius 1999) on the basis of morphological differences. Recent molecular data, however, raised a paradox in that Class Cubozoa was more closely related than Order Stauromedusae to the other scyphozoan orders Coronatae, Semaeostomeae, and Rhizostomeae, i.e. "Scyphozoa" was paraphyletic (e.g. Collins 2002). This issue has now been resolved with elevation of stauromedusae to Class Staurozoa (e.g. Marques & Collins 2004; Dawson in press). The list of families, genera, and species below is based largely on Kramp (1961), Southcott (1967), Pagès et al. (1992), Mianzan & Cornelius (1999), ZooBank, and the various recent publications of Gershwin. The group continues to be the subject of several morphological and molecular investigations which should help to clarify species relationships and boundaries.

Collections: M = morphology, D = DNA. Type = *

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Key

Key:

Family (2)

• Genus (5)
  • Species (33

Family (5)	Genus (13)	Species (32)	Collections
Carybdeidae Gegenbaur 1856	Carybdea Peron & Lesueur	marsupialis (Linne 1758*)
		rastoni Haacke 1886	Sydney (D, M)
		sivickisi Stiasny 1926 Carybdea sivickisi Stiasny 1926
		xaymacana Conant 1897
	Tripedalia Conant 1897	binata Moore 1988
		cystophora Conant 1897* Tripedalia cystophora Conant 1897	Kakaban (D, M); Florida (D, M)
Alatinidae Gershwin 2005	Alatina Gershwin 2005	alata (Reynaud 1830)*	New Guinea (D, M)
		grandis (Agassiz & Mayer 1902)
		madraspatana (Menon 1930)
		mordens Gershwin 2005
		moseri (Mayer 1906)
		pyramis (Haeckel 1880)
		rainensis Gershwin 2005
		tetraptera (Haeckel 1880)
	Manokia Soutcott 1967	stisnyi (Bigelow 1938)*
Tamoyidae Haeckel 1880	Carukia Soutcott 1967	barnesi Southcott 1967*
		shinju Gershwin 2005
	Gerongia Gershwin & Alderslade 2005	rifkinae Gershwin & Alderslade 2005*
	Malo Gershwin 2005	maxima Gershwin 2005
	Tamoya Muller 1859	haeckeli Southcott 1967
		haplonema Muller 1859* Tamoya haplonema (F. Müller, 1859)	Japan (D, M)
Chirodropidae Haeckel 1877	Chirodropus Haeckel 1880	gorilla Haeckel 1880 *
		palmatus Haeckel 1880
		sp. Stiasny 1992
	Chironex Southcott 1956	fleckeri Southcott 1956 *	Townsville (D)
Chiropsalmidae Thiel 1936	Chiropsalmus L. Agassiz 1862	alipes Gershwin 2006
		maculatus Cornelius et al. 2005
		quadrumanus (Müller 1859)* Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (F. Müller, 1859)
		zygonema Haeckel 1880
	Chiropsoides Southott 1956	buitendijki (Horst 1907)
		quadrigatus (Haeckel 1880)	Parangipettai (D)
		quadrigatus (Haeckel 1880) Chiropsalmus quadrigatus Haeckel 1880	Palau (D, M)
	Chiropsella Gershwin 2006	bronzie Gershwin 2006 *

See Zoo Bank ([1]) for more information.

Compiled by M.N Dawson, L.A. Gershwin, G. Jarms, H. Mianzan, A.C. Morandini. Updated by M.N Dawson (August 2007). Further update pending.