Cubomedusae

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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).




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 = *


Family (5) Genus (13) Species (32) Image Collections
Carybdeidae Gegenbaur 1856 Carybdea Peron & Lesueur marsupialis (Linne 1758*)
rastoni Haacke 1886 Sydney (D, M)
sivickisi Stiasny 1926
xaymacana Conant 1897
Tripedalia Conant 1897 binata Moore 1988
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* 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)*
zygonema Haeckel 1880
Chiropsoides Southott 1956 buitendijki (Horst 1907)
quadrigatus (Haeckel 1880) Parangipettai (D)
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.