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:

Family (5)

• Genus (13)
  • Species (32)

Carybdeidae Gegenbaur 1856

• Carybdea (Peron & Lesueur)
  • marsupialis
  • rastoni (Collected in Sydney; 
  • sivickisi
    

    Carybdea sivickisi Stiasny 1926
  • xaymacana
    
• Tripedalia (Conant 1897)
• binata

cystophora (Conant 1897; collected in *Kakaban; D, M; Florida; D, M)

Tripedalia cystophora Conant 1897

AlatinidaeAlatinidaeGershwin 2005

• Alatina Gershwin 2005
  

• • alata (Reynaud 1830; New Guinea (D, M) )*
    
  • grandis
  • madraspatana
  • mordens
  • moseri
  • pyramis (Haeckel 1880)
  • rainensis
  • tetraptera (Haeckel 1880)

• Manokia Soutcott 1967
  • stisnyi (Bigelow 1938)*

Tamoyidae Haeckel 1880

• Carukia Soutcott 1967
  • barnesi Southcott 1967*
  • shinju Gershwin 2005

• Gerongia

• • rifkinae Gershwin & Alderslade 2005*

• Malo Gershwin 2005

• • maxima Gershwin 2005

• Tamoya Muller 1859

• • haeckeli Southcott 1967
  • haplonema Muller 1859 Japan (D, M)*
    

    Tamoya haplonema (F. Müller, 1859)

Chirodropidae Haeckel 1877

• Chirodropus Haeckel 1880

• • gorilla
  • 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

• Chiropsoides

• • buitendijki
  • 

    Chiropsalmus quadrumanus (F. Müller, 1859)
  • quadrigatus
  • quadrigatus

• Chiropsella Gershwin 2006

• • 

    Chiropsalmus quadrigatus Haeckel 1880
  • 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.