GROUP 2

PHYLUM CNIDARIA
SYSTEMATICS AND
BIODIVERSITY
 Phylum
Phylum is a taxonomic rank below Kingdom and
above Class in biological classification.
 TABLE OF CONTENTS

01 02
INTRODUCTION CHARACTERISTICS

03 04 05
FORM AND FUNCTION EVOLUTION CLASSIFICATION
01
What is
Phylum Cnidaria?
 Cnidaria
The phylum Cnidaria (pronounced “nih DARE ee uh”) includes soft-bodied
stinging animals such as corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish. The phylum’s name
is derived from the Greek root word cnid- meaning nettle, a stinging plant.
Cnidarians are found in many aquatic environments. Sea anemones are widely
distributed, from cold arctic waters to the equator, from shallow tide pools to the
bottom of the deep ocean. Jellyfish float near the surface of the open oceans and
in some tropical freshwater lakes. Corals are found primarily in shallow tropical
waters, but a few grow in deep cold ocean waters. Small anemone-like cnidarians
like Hydra sp. are also found in freshwater lakes and streams. Cnidarians range in
size from tiny animals no bigger than a pinhead to graceful giants with trailing
tentacles several meters long.
 9,000+
Numbers of Phylum Cnidaria species
 Ctenophora
Some animals that look similar to cnidarians are actually not part of the
same phylum. An example of this is a type of jelly called a ctenophore).
Ctenophores were removed from the phylum Cnidaria and placed in a
new phylum called Ctenophora (pronounced ti-NOF-or-uh). Although
both ctenophores and cnidarians have similar bodies with thin tissue
layers enclosing a middle layer of jellylike material, scientists now
group them separately. These comb rows, called ctenes (ctene meaning
comb) is how the ctenophores get their common name of comb jellies.
 PHYLUM CNIDARIA and
PHYLUM CTENOPHORA

Aurelia aurita Ctenophora

Moon Jellies from the Phylum Comb Jelly from the Phylum
Cnidaria Ctenophora
 02

CHARACTERISTICS
 1) They are characterized by
stinging cells called Cnidoblast
CHARACTERISTICS OF and a cavity called coelenterates,
justifying the name Cnidaria or
A PHYLUM CNIDARIA Coelenterata.

2) They are exclusively aquatic

and marine.

3) They are radially symmetrical

and diploblastic animals.

4) The ectoderm of Coelenterates

is provided with a special type of
cells called cnidoblasts or
stinging cells. These cells have to
hypnotize, used for defense and
paralyzing the prey. They are
found in large numbers around
the mouth and over the tentacles.
 5) They show both intracellular
and extracellular digestion in the
CHARACTERISTICS OF gastrovascular cavity.

A PHYLUM CNIDARIA 6) The circulatory, respiratory

and excretory systems are absent
in Cnidarians. Gaseous exchange
and excretion take place through
the body surface.

7) To maintain equilibrium, the

body of Cnidaria possesses single
or complicated sensory organs
like statocysts and tentaculocyst.

8) They have a poorly developed

nervous system and it is present
in the form of a nerve net in the
body walls and the tentacles.
 9) They show polymorphism.
Two body forms are present:
CHARACTERISTICS OF asexual polyp and sexual
medusa stage.
A PHYLUM CNIDARIA
10) The Polyp is a cylindrical
shape in Hydra.

11) The Medusae is

umbrella-shaped in Jellyfish.

12) Asexual reproduction

occurs by the method of
budding or spores.

13) Sexual reproduction occurs

by the production of gametes.
Sexes are not .
 14) Embryo shows indirect
development.
CHARACTERISTICS OF 15) They show external
A PHYLUM CNIDARIA fertilization.
 THIS IS A MAP

MERCURY
It is the closest
planet to the Sun

VENUS
Venus has a
beautiful name
03
FORM AND
FUNCTION
Structure and Function in Cnidarians
Similar to sponges, cnidarians are diploblasts, meaning that they develop from two basic germ (cell) layers: an ectoderm, or
outer layer, and an endoderm, or inner layer. Between the ectoderm, which contains the cnidocysts, and the endoderm there is
a non-cellular substance called the mesoglea. The mesoglea is a gelatinous matrix that contains fibers made up of the protein
collagen. There are usually cells loosely scattered throughout the mesoglea but not in a defined layer. The basic body plan of
all cnidarians consists of the two cell layers enclosing a digestive cavity.

Polyps and Medusae

There are two distinct cnidarian body forms: polypoid and medusoid. These are both depicted in Figure below.
 Both polyp and medusa forms consist of a digestive sac, the coelenteron, surrounded by two layers of tissue, the endoderm
and the ectoderm. A gelatinous matrix called the mesoglea lies between the two layers and may contain loose aggregations of
cells.

As you can see from Figure above, the polyp has a tubular shaped body. Polyps are usually sessile, with the bottom attached
to a solid surface and the mouth opening at
the top. The attachment region at the base of the animal is called the basal plate. The medusa is more of an umbrella or bell
shape, with the mouth facing down. The body of the medusa is often called the bell. Medusae are usually free-swimming and
either propel themselves using muscle contractions or float along water currents like plankton. Many cnidarian species exhibit
what is called an “alternation of generations” meaning that they alternate between polyps and medusae. This will be further
discussed for each class in another concept
 The anthozoan species, Acropora variabilis.

The coral head depicted in Figure above is actually a colony made up of many small, interconnected anthozoan
polyps. These colonies form by asexual reproduction in which the developing bud forms a polyp that remains
attached to the parent. In addition to the hydrostatic skeleton discussed above, several coral species secrete an
exoskeleton. In these species, the ectodermal cells at the base of the polyp secrete the cup-shaped exoskeleton
called the calicle or basal plate. The basal plate is made up of calcium. As the polyp grows, the calicle size
increases and, over time, becomes the major constituent of coral reefs.

Hydrozoan Anatomy
The class Hydrozoa contains species that include the siphonophores and hydroids. Unlike the anthozoans, many
Hydrozoa alternate between polyp and medusa forms. However, the polyp form normally dominates in the
hydrozoan life cycle. The medusa form is generally small and short-lived. Its primary function is to carry out sexual
reproduction and to allow the species to disperse to different locations. Hydrozoa are classified based on the
presence of a membrane called the velum that lines the inside edge of the bell in the medusa forms.
04

EVOLUTION
The origin of Cnidaria is very ancient, more than 580 million years ago.
In some fossils, it is indicated that corals existed 490 million years ago.
It is believed that Phylum Cnidaria originated during the Cryogenian
period.
The major evolutionary step that occurred with the phylum cnidaria was
the development of tissue-level organization. Cnidaria is diploblastic and
exhibits tissue level of organization. It has two germ layers ectoderm
and endoderm.

Ectoderm- outer layer

Endoderm- inner layer

Radial symmetry means that the animal
can be cut in half from top to bottom at
any angle to produce two identical
sections.
Speculations about the origin of the phylum are not easily resolved, for
preservable skeletal structures developed relatively late in cnidarian
evolution.
05

CLASSIFICATION
 Hydrozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Sub phylum: Medusozoa
Class: Hydrozoa owen, 1743.

Description: The Hydrozoa is a subgroup of

cnidarians containging approximately 3700 species.
It is a diverse group with a variety of life cycles,
growth forms, and specialized structures. Like many
cnidarians, hydrozoans have both polyp and medusa
stages in their life cycle.
 Scyphozoa
Kingdom: Animalia
Class: Scyphozoa Götte, 1887 – jellyfish,
cup animals, jellyfishes, méduses, água
viva, Cifozoa, cifozoário, meduza
Order: Coronatae – crown jellyfish, crown
jellyfishes
Subclass: Discomedusae
Description: There are approximately 200
species of Scyphozoans organized into four
orders. Familiar scyphozoans include Aurelia
(the moon jelly) and Cyanea (the lion's mane
jelly). Scyphozoans live in all oceans, from
the Arctic to tropical waters. Some inhabit
the deep sea, but most live near the coastal
waters. Most are motile animals, but
members of the order Stauromedusae are
sessile.
Anthozoa
Subphylum: Medusozoa

Class: Scyphozoa Götte, 1887 – jellyfish, cup animals,

jellyfishes, méduses, água viva, Cifozoa, cifozoário,
meduza

Order: Coronatae – crown jellyfish, crown jellyfishes

Subclass: Discomedusae

Description: Anthozoa is a class of marine

invertebrates which includes the sea anemones,
stony corals and soft corals. Adult anthozoans
are almost all attached to the seabed, while their
larvae can disperse as part of the plankton.
 Staurozoa
Kingdom Animalia – Animal, animaux, animals
Subkingdom Radiata
Phylum Cnidaria Hatschek, 1888 – cnidarians,
coelenterates, cnidaires, coelentérés, água viva,
anêmona, caravela, cnidario, coral, hidra
Subphylum Medusozoa
Class Staurozoa Marques and Collins, 2004
Direct Children:
Order Stauromedusae – stalked jellyfish, stalked
jellyfishes

Description: Staurozoans are small animals [1–4

cm (0.4–1.6 in. )] that live in marine
environments, usually attached to seaweeds,
rocks, or gravel. The group has a largely
antitropical distribution, with the majority of
species found in boreal or polar, near-shore, and
shallow waters.
Myoxozoa
Kingdom Animalia – Animal, animaux, animals.
Subkingdom Radiata Phylum Cnidaria Hatschek, 1888 –
cnidarians, coelenterates, cnidaires, coelentérés, água viva,
anêmona, caravela, cnidario, coral, hydra
Subphylum Myxozoa
Direct Children:
Class :Malacosporea Class
Myxosporea

Description: Myxozoans are a group of microscopic,

oligocellular, obligate endoparasites that belong to the Phylum
Cnidaria, which also includes sea anemones, box jellies, corals,
true jellies, sea pens, and hydrozoans.
Cubozoa
SubKingdom: Radiata
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Medusozoa
Class: Cabusozoa - sea wasps, box jellyfish, agua
viva, cabuzoario, medusa altas.

Description: Cubozoans are also known as box

jellyfish, because in transverse section the bells
appear to be square. Tentacles are located at the
corners of the square umbrella margin, and the
base of each tentacle is distinctively flattened.
The edge of the umbrella turns inward to form a
rim called a velarium, much like the velum of
hydromedusae.
PHYLUM CNIDARIA EXERCISE
 EXERCISE 1

Phylum is Taxonomic rank below _____

A Life C Class

B Domain D Kingdom
 EXERCISE 2
Numbers of Phylum Cnidaria species?

A 9000+ C 69+

B 90,000+ D 6,900+
 EXERCISE 3

Father of Taxonomy

A Carl Woese C John Lloyd Cruz

Gabino E. Santos M.Sc,

B Carl Linnaeus D
LPT
 THANKS!
PRESENTED BY:

GADDI, ANNA RIZEL

MUNOZ, SHENSUIE
PEREZ, MARK DARRYLLE

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