Kingdom: Animalia

Phyllum: Coelenterata
Cnidaria (Pŕhlivce)
Classsis: Hydrozoa (Polypovce)
Scyphozoa (Medúzovce)
Cubozoa (Štvorhranovce)
Anthozoa (Koralovce)
Body: radially symmetrical with 2 or 3 layers, a gastrovascular cavity and a single opening that
serves as both mouth and anus (vyvrhovací otvor) which is usually surrounded by tentacles
(chápadlá)
-Special stinging cells- CNIDOCYTES- function: food capture
defence mechanism
adhesion
-Sessile, Carnivorous
-Digestion: Intacellular (inside the nutritive cells of endodermis (pokožky))
Extracellular (gastrovascular cavity)
-Respiration + Excretion: simple diffusion
- Nervous system: primitive- diffused net of nerve cells (rozptýlená nervová sústava)
- Many Coelenterates exhibit POLYMORPHISM, i.e. they exist in two different body forms:
a polyp and medusa

A polyp is a tubullar body form which is usually sessile. While a medusa is an umbrella (or
bell) shaped free-swimming body form.
A polyp represents an asexual phase, while a medusa ia a sexual stage.

Metagenesis (Alternation of generations)

1. Hydrozoa
-Environment: freshwater
- sedentary way of life
- the dominant body form is a polyp
- medusa is either reduced or absent
e.g. Hydra viridis- nezmar zelený
Hydra oligactis- nezmar hnedý

2. Scyphozoa
-Environment: marine species
-Sedentary or free-swimming
e.g. Aurelia aurita- medúza ušatá
Cyanea arctica- tanierovka arktická (2m)

4. Anthozoa
- they lack the medusa stage
- Great Barrier Reef in Australia (Veľká koralová bariéra)
e.g. Corallium rubrum- koral červený
Condylactis gigantea- sasanka veľká + Amfiprion- klaun očkatý= symbiosis