Physonectae

Physonectae
illustration of Physophora hydrostatica
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Cnidaria
Class:	Hydrozoa
Order:	Siphonophorae
Suborder:	Physonectae Haeckel, 1888[1]
Families[2]
Agalmatidae Brandt, 1834 Apolemiidae Huxley, 1859 Cordagalmatidae , 2016 Erennidae , 2001 Forskaliidae Haeckel, 1888 Physophoridae Eschscholtz, 1829 Pyrostephidae Moser, 1925 Resomiidae , 2006 Rhodaliidae Haeckel, 1888 Stephanomiidae Huxley, 1859

Physonectae is a suborder of Siphonophores. In Japanese it is called 胞泳^[3] (hōei).

Like all siphonophores, members of Physonectae are composed of a colony of zooids. Physonect species typically have a pneumatophore (float) at the top, with a nectosome region beneath it.^[2][4] The nectosome has many nectophores, or swimming bells,^[2] that propel the colony in any direction.^[4] The only exception are species in the genus Athorybia, which lack nectophores,^[2] resembling members of Cystonectae. Past the nectosome is the siphosome, which contains hydrophyllia (protective bracts), gastrozooids (feeding polyps), gonophores (reproductive medusae), and (polyps with suspected defensive and/or excretory functions).^[2][4] These structures in the siphosome repeat in a pattern which is different for each species.^[4] Each loop on the pattern is called a cormidium.^[4]

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