Aequoreidae
Aequorea victoria (the "crystal jelly") with two amphipods
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Class: Hydrozoa
Order: Leptothecata
Family: Aequoreidae
Eschscholtz, 1829
Genera[1]

Aequoreidae is a family of hydrozoans, sometimes called the many-ribbed jellies or many-ribbed jellyfish.[2][3] There are approximately 30 known species found in temperate and tropical marine coastal environments.[4] Aequoreids include Aequorea victoria, the organism from which the green fluorescent protein gene was isolated.[5]

Polyps

Only the polyp stages of Aequorea species have been observed.[6] The colonies are covered with chitinous periderm and can be either prostrate or erect with weak or sympodial branching.[6] Young hydranths possess hydrothecae with a closing structure called operculum,[6] which consists of several relatively long triangular folds that meet together in the centre when a disturbed polyp contracts.[6] Because the operculum is quite fragile, hydrothecae of old polyps usually have only a small chitinous collar remaining.[6] Comparatively large cylindrical gonothecae are attached to the colony with a thin peduncle.[6] Commonly only one medusa develops in each gonotheca.[6]

Medusae

Mature aequoreid medusae are diverse in shape, from lens-like to conical, and in size.[4] The smallest, Aequerea parva is only 0.6 cm in diameter, while the largest, Rhacostoma atlanticum, can reach 40 cm in diameter.[4][6] The medusae of most species are between 5 and 15 cm in diameter.[4]

Genera

Aequoreidae includes the following genera:[1]

  • Aequorea Péron et Lesueur, 1810 – ca. 20 valid species
  • Aldersladia Gershwin, 2006 – 1 valid species
  • Gangliostoma Xu, 1983 – 2 valid species
  • Rhacostoma L. Agassiz, 1850 – 1 valid species
  • Zygocanna Haeckel, 1879 – 5 valid species

See also

References

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  1. 1 2 Peter Schuchert (2011). Schuchert P (ed.). "Aequoreidae". World Hydrozoa database. World Register of Marine Species. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  2. ↑ "Many-ribbed Jellies (Family Aequoreidae)". iNaturalist Canada.
  3. ↑ Pollock, Leland W. (November 5, 1998). A Practical Guide to the Marine Animals of Northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press. ISBN 9780813523996 – via Google Books.
  4. 1 2 3 4 Kramp, P. L. (1961). Synopsis of the medusae of the world. Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 40: 1–469. P. 203–212. The full text Archived 2011-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Tsien, R. (1998). The green fluorescent protein. Annual Review of Biochemistry 67: 509–44. The full text. doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.67.1.509.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Bouillon, J., Gravili, C., Pagès, F., Gili, J. M., Boero, F. (2006). An introduction to Hydrozoa. Mémoires du Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle 194: 1–591, p. 276–278.
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