SYSTEMATICS│LABORATORY

Exercise 9:  They are diploblastic (have two germ

Kingdom Animalia layers)
o Ectoderm – outer layer
Phylum Coelenterata
o Endoderm – inner layer
CNIDARIANS  Between the ectoderm, there are
cnidocytes by which contains nematocysts.
 They are aquatic or marine habitat  In the inner layer of the endoderm, a non-
animals. cellular substance called mesoglea is
 Their body are radially symmetrical and present.
exhibit a tissue-level organization.  Mesoglea – it is gelatinous matrix that
contains fibers made up of the protein
collagen.
 With that, basic body plan of all cnidarians
consists of the two cell layers enclosing a
digestive cavity

 Their mouth is surrounded by sensory

tentacles, which helps to capture their
prey.
 They have asingle body cavity called the
coelenteron which is for ingestion and
egestion.
 They have specialized stinging cells in their
tentacles called the nematocysts for
capturing preys.
Fundamental Structures
 Their digestive cavity is called the
coelenteron
 It has a single mouth opening through
which food/prey enters and waste is
expelled.
 Also considered as the gastrovascular
cavity, because it is where digestion and
gas exchange takes place.
 They have their mouth surrounded by
tentacles to release nematocyst for
attacking and capturing prey
 The endodermal lining of the coelenteron
is called the gastrodermis, which absorbs
the nutrients from digestion.
 They have a decentralized nervous system,
muscle tissue, reproductive tissues, and a
hydrostatic skeleton
 The hydrostatic skeleton is maintained by
the internal pressure of fluids within the
organism, and it hold the animal’s shape.
 Their primitive nervous system is non-
centralized. It consists of a network of
nerve cells, called the nerve net.

Sea anemone

b. Medusa

 The nerve net is the one capable for sensing

touch 9 There is no circulatory or
respiratory systems, the
 coelenteron acts as the vascular tissue.
Both circulation
 and respiration occurs by simple diffusion.

Jelly fish

 They have an umbrella or a bell shape with

the mouth facing down.
 They are free-swimming and with the
ability to propel themselves using muscle
contractions.

Classes under Phylum Coelenterata

Can be in two forms
a. Polyp
 They have a tubular shaped body.
 Usually sessile, with the bottom attached
to a solid surface called the substratum and
their mouth opens at the top
 The attachment region at the base is called
as the basal plate.
 Hydrozoa
 Anthozoa
 Scyphozoa
Class Hydrozoa
 Their gastrovascular cavity is a simple sac
without partitions.
 Life cycle includes an alternation of the
polypoid and medusoid stages.
o Polypoid – asexual stage, and it is the
dominant stage in this class
o Medusoid – sexual stage, generally
small and short- lived.
 Primary function: to carry out
sexual reproduction and to allow
 the species to disperse to different o Hypostome - the apex of the mouth
locations.

 They are classified by the presence of their

velum that lines the inside edge of the bell
in the medusa forms.

 Velum - a rim of tissue around the margin of

the bell of certain cnidarians.

Genera under Class Hydrozoa

Hydra  The whole surface of the body, except the

pedal disc, is provided with a large number
of cnidocytes with nematocysts
 Small, conical outgrowths are present at
the surface of their bodies. These can be
male or female gonads, also called testis or
ovary that are responsible for reproduction.

Hydra is the simplest fresh water hydrozoa. It

is the smallest and solitary cnidarian polyp
 Body is cylindrical, having one end attached Obelia
to a submerged object.
o The proximal end of attachment is
called as the pedal disc
 It has 6-8 tentacles radiating in all
directions and arranged in a circle.
 Hypostome is a small, elevated cone
surrounded by the tentacles.
 Plumularia

Obelia is sedentary, marine colonial form found

attached on the surface of sea weeds,
molluscan shells, rocks and wooden piles

Distinctive parts of an Obelia:

 Hydrorhiza – the root that attaches to the
substratum Hydrocaulus – bears the polyp
 Hydranth – terminal head of each polyp,
and the location for feeding.
 Blastostyles – these are their reproductive
polyps
 Perisarc – tough, yellow chitin that covers
the Obelia
 Gonotheca – the perisarc around the
blastostyle
 Gonangium – the blastostyle and the
gonotheca together
Plumularia has a colony that is feather-like
 Coenosarc – continuous with perisarc but and are attached to highly branched
separates overtime. hydrorhizae.
 They are luminescent and their blastostyles
or gonagia are unprotected and without
gonotheca.
 They have special polyps called
nematophores which don’t have tentacles
and mouth but have ameoboid projections.
 Nematophores are defensive polyps
 Sertularia

Physalia, Portuguese man o' war

Physalia is a marine hydrozoan found in the

Atlantic and Indian oceans.
 It has numerous venomous microscopic
Sertularia has its colony found attached to
nematocysts which deliver a painful sting
seaweeds and is creeping hydrorhizae
powerful enough to kill fish, and has been
 The colony can produce luminescence
known to occasionally kill humans
 Their hydrotheca and gonotheca are sessile
 It resembles a jellyfish but it is a
and they arise from the internodes
siphonophore Siphonophores – colonial
 Their polyps may be retracted completely
organism made up of zooids.
or protruding outside
 Zooids – genetically identical structures but
have specialized functions such as feeding
and reproduction
 Pneumatophore – the most conspicuous
part of the man o’ war. Color is translucent
and blue. Functions as a gas filled
structure for floating.

Three types of zooids:

 Gonozooids – serves for the reproductive
processes
 Gastrozooids – surrounds and digest the
food. It secretes enzymes
 Dactylozooids – tentacle bearing zooids
that have nematocysts that can kill adults,
squids and fishes.
Class Anthozoa

 Exists exclusively as a polypoid and does

not exhibit alternation of generation.
 Gastrovascular cavity has partitions and
consist of the stomodaeum and
mesenteries.
o Stomodaeum = internal pharynx, it
connects the mouth to the
coelenteron
o Mesenteries – divides the body
cavity into partitions Heliopora
Class is divided into subclass based on the
number of tentacles and partitions of the
gastrovascular cavity
 Subclasses: Alcyonaria and Zoantharia

Subclass Alcyonaria or Octocorallia

 They resemble stony corals in appearance

and in the size of their polyps
 Polyps have 8 tentacles and septae that
divide the gastrovascular cavity
 Has one syphonoglyph and they have an
Lithophyllum
endoskeleton

Genera under Subclass Alcyonaria

S
arcophyton

Stylatula

Lobophyllum
 Melithaea ochracea
Fungia

Lubipora musica A
ntipathes
Subclass Zoantharia or Hexacorallia
 Characterized by symmetrically aligned as
 These include sea anemones and corals well as irregularly shaped corals, a range of
 Polyps have 6 tentacles and septae that different colors, and colonies
divide the gastrovascular cavity
 The have an endoskeleton and usually
have 2 siphonoglyphs

Genera under Subclass Zoantharia

Acropora

Metridium, Sea anemone

 They are characterized by their numerous

threadlike tentacles extending from a
smooth cylindrical column
 Leptoria o Polyp
o Medusa
Class Scyphozoa

 “Also known as the jellyfishes”

 Bell-shaped
 Life cycle includes an alternation of the
medusoid and polyploid stage.
o (Opposite to Hydrozoans)
 Medusoid – sexual stage, and it is
the dominant stage in this class.
 Medusa are acraspedote which
means it doesn’t have a velum.
 Polypoid – asexual stage, generally
small and short- lived. It is
restricted to small larval stage,
(scyphistonia) or totally absent

Key Differences:
 Polyp as a Body Form
o Sessile
o Tubular Shaped
o No sense organs
o Mouth is facing upwards
o Can reproduce sexually and
asexually

Aurelia ephyra  Medusa as a Body Form

o Freely moving
o Bell Shaped
o Have sense organs
o Mouth is facing down
o Can reproduce only sexually

Function in the Life Cycle of Various Cnidaria

 For Hydrozoa and Scyphozoa

o Since there is an alternation of
Guide Question
1. What are the two body forms found in
cnidarian? Explain how they function in the
life cycle of various types of cnidaria.
 Two Body Forms in Cnidarians
generation, the polyp functions for the
asexual stage and while the medusa
functions for sexual phases of the
species. With that, during asexual
stage, the polyp develop a stack of
medusoid to bud off as independent
medusae. For the sexual stage, the
medusa will disperse to different
 locations, and once again reproduce
and start the cycle again.
o However for Hydrozoans, polyp
functions are dominant than the
medusa; hence the polyp stage is
longer compared to the medusa while
for scyphozoans, medusa functions are
longer than the polyp.
 For Anthozoa
o They don’t have an alternation of
generation and the exist most of their
lives as polyps.
o With that, polyp functions for asexual
reproduction. They reproduce through
a process called budding or
fragmentation. The gametes will be
produced by the polyp, which can then
fuse to form a free-swimming planula
larva. The larva will settle on a suitable
substratum and will develop into a
sessile small polyp.
2. Describe the anatomy of hydra pointing out
those features that typify cnidaria.
Anatomy of Hydra
 Tentacles = resembles a metridium or a
sea anemone
 Digestive tract = they have a two way
digestive tract where the food enters
and waste exit. This arrangement within
the body is called as the blind gut
which is very common amongst
cnidarians
 Body = like any other cnidarians, the
body of a hydra consists several layers
of tissues such as the epidermis, and
gastrodermis. Furthermore, it between
the layers is the mesoglea which is
another layer of connective tissue.
 Buds = hydras can reproduce through
budding like a typical cnidaria. They can
produce buds that will find a new
surface and develop into a tiny hydra
polyp.
3. Name the cell types found in cnidarian
tissues and give the function/s of each.
a. Cnidocytes – these are specialized
cells that have nematocysts
(stingers), which serves to
immobilize its prey from the toxins.
b. Nerve cells – they are organized in a
nerve net, serving as a sensory
locator.
 With that, a cnidarian is able to
detect chemical changes, its pray,
and move in response to the given
stimulus.
a. Epithelial Cells – it consists the basic
framework of the cnidarian
integument.
b. Gland Cells – found in the
gastrodermis and secretes digestive
enzymes.
4. Enumerate the characteristics common
to all cnidarians.
a. Radially Symmetrical.
b. Body multicellular, few tissues,
some organelles.
c. Body contains an internal cavity and
a mouth.
d. Two different forms exist, medusa
and polyp
e. Reproduction is asexual or sexual.
f. Has a simple net like nervous
system.
g. Has a distinct larval stage which is
planktonic.
h. Lives in aquatic environments,
mostly marine.
i. Mostly carnivorous otherwise filter
feeders.
j. May have a minimal skeleton of
chiton or calcium carbonate.