List of cnidarians of Ireland
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There are 302 species of cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria) recorded in Ireland.[1]
The cnidarians' distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick. They have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mouths surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. Both forms have a single orifice and body cavity that are used for digestion and respiration. Many cnidarian species produce colonies that are single organisms composed of medusa-like or polyp-like zooids, or both (hence they are trimorphic).[2][3][4]
Cnidarians found in Ireland and Irish waters include sea pens, sea anemones, hydroids, sea jellies ("jellyfish") and corals.
Class Anthozoa[]
Order Actiniaria (sea anemones)[]
Family Actiniidae[]
Actinia fragacea (strawberry anemone)
- Actinia equina (beadlet anemone)
- Actinia fragacea (strawberry anemone)
- Anemonia viridis (snakelocks anemone)
- Anthopleura ballii (red speckled anemone)
- Aulactinia verrucosa (gem anemone)
- Urticina eques
- Urticina felina (northern red anemones, dahlia anemone)
Family Actinostolidae[]
Family Aiptasiidae[]
Family Capneidae[]
Family Edwardsiidae[]
Family Gonactiniidae[]
- Gonactinia prolifera
Family Halcampidae[]
Family Halcampoididae[]
Family Haloclavidae[]
Family Hormathiidae[]
- Adamsia carciniopados
- Adamsia palliata (cloak anemone)
- Calliactis parasitica
Family Metridiidae[]
- Metridium senile (plumose anemone, frilled anemone)
Family Sagartiidae[]
- Actinothoe sphyrodeta
- Cereus pedunculatus (daisy anemone)
- Sagartia elegans
- Sagartia troglodytes (mud sagartia, cave-dwelling anemone)
- Sagartiogeton undatus
Order Alcyonacea (soft corals)[]
Family Alcyoniidae[]
Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers)
- Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers)
- Alcyonium glomeratum (red sea fingers)
- (pink sea fingers)
Family Gorgoniidae[]
- Eunicella verrucosa (broad sea fan, pink sea fan, warty gorgonian)
Family Plexauridae[]
- Swiftia pallida (northern sea fan)
Order Ceriantharia (tube-dwelling anemone)[]
Family Arachnactidae[]
Family Cerianthidae[]
Pachycerianthus multiplicatus (firework anemone)
- Cerianthus lloydii (lesser cylinder anemone)
- Pachycerianthus multiplicatus (firework anemone)
Order Corallimorpharia[]
Family Corallimorphidae[]
Order Pennatulacea (sea pens)[]
Family Virgulariidae[]
- Virgularia mirabilis
Order Zoantharia[]
Family Epizoanthidae[]
Family Parazoanthidae[]
- Isozoanthus sulcatus
- Parazoanthus axinellae (yellow cluster anemone)
Class Hydrozoa[]
Order Anthoathecata (athecate hydroids)[]
Family Bougainvilliidae[]
Family Candelabridae[]
Family Corymorphidae[]
Family Corynidae[]
Family Eudendriidae[]
Family Hydractiniidae[]
Clava multicornis
- Clava multicornis
- Hydractinia echinata (snail fur)
Family Hydridae (hydras)[]
- Hydra viridissima (green hydra)[5]
- Hydra vulgaris (common hydra)[5]
Family Pandeiidae[]
Family Porpitidae (chondrophores)[]
Velella velella colony
- Velella velella (sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail)
Family Tubulariidae[]
Tubularia indivisa (oaten pipes hydroid)
- Ectopleura larynx
- Tubularia indivisa (oaten pipes hydroid)
Order Leptomedusae (thecate hydroids)[]
Family Aequoreidae[]
Family Aglaopheniidae[]
- Aglaophenia pluma (toothed feather hydroid, podded hydroid)
Family Campanulariidae[]
- Clytia hemisphaerica
- Laomedea flexuosa
- Obelia dichotoma
- Obelia geniculata
- Obelia longissima
Family Haleciidae[]
Family Halopterididae[]
Family Kirchenpaueriidae[]
Family Lafoeidae[]
Family Plumulariidae[]
- Plumularia setacea (plumed hydroid, little sea bristle)
Family Sertulariidae[]
- Sertularella gayi
- Sertularella polyzonias
- Thuiaria articulata (jointed hydroid)
Order Limnomedusae[]
Family Olindiidae[]
Order Siphonophorae (siphonophores)[]
Family Apolemiidae[]
Apolemia uvaria (string jellyfish)
- Apolemia uvaria (string jellyfish, barbed wire jellyfish, long stringy stingy thingy)
Family Physaliidae[]
- Physalia physalis (Portuguese man-o'-war, blue bottle, floating terror)
Class Scyphozoa (true sea jellies)[]
Order Rhizostomae[]
Family Rhizostomatidae[]
- Rhizostoma pulmo (barrel jelly, dustbin-lid jelly, frilly-mouthed jelly)
Order Semaeostomeae (flag-mouth sea jellies)[]
Family Cyaneidae[]
Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jelly)
- Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jelly)
- Cyanea lamarckii (blue jelly, bluefire)
Family Pelagiidae[]
- Chrysaora hysoscella (compass jelly)
- Pelagia noctiluca (mauve stinger)
Family Ulmaridae[]
- Aurelia aurita (moon jelly, common jelly, saucer jelly)
Order Scleractinia (stony corals, hard corals)[]
Family Caryophylliidae[]
- Caryophyllia smithii (Devonshire cup coral)
- Lophelia pertusa[7]
Family Oculinidae[]
- Madrepora oculata (zigzag coral)[7]
Class Staurozoa[]
Order Stauromedusae (stalked jellies)[]
Family Craterolophidae[]
Family Kishinouyeidae[]
Family Lucernariidae[]
- Haliclystus auricula (kaleidoscope jelly)
References[]
- ^ https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM38.pdf
- ^ "Species Browser".
- ^ "Home" (PDF).
- ^ "Sea Anemones and Corals - OceanAddicts".
- ^ a b "Common Hydra (Hydra vulgaris) - Detail - Biodiversity Maps".
- ^ "Craspedacusta sowerbyi - Detail - Biodiversity Maps".
- ^ a b "Coral reefs in Irish Waters".
External links[]
Categories:
- Cnidarians of the Atlantic Ocean
- Fauna of Ireland
- Lists of cnidarians
- Ireland-related lists