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Anthozoa
class of cnidarians / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Anthozoa are a class in the phylum Cnidaria. It includes the sea anemones and the corals. It is a monophyletic clade, one of two in the Cnidaria. The other is the Medusozoa.[1]
Quick Facts Anthozoa Temporal range: late Ediacaran to present, Scientific classification ...
Anthozoa Temporal range: late Ediacaran to present | |
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Stony corals | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | |
Phylum: | |
Class: | Anthozoa |
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![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d7/Acropora_latistella_%28Table_coral%29.jpg/640px-Acropora_latistella_%28Table_coral%29.jpg)
![Thumb image](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a9/Giant_Green_Anemone.gif)
The class does not have a medusa larval stage in its development, unlike the rest of the phylum. Like all Cnidaria, their food-catching and defense are done by nematocysts, which are extremely effective stinging cells. Over 6,100 species have been described.[2][3]
There are three subclasses:
- Ceriantharia: the tube-dwelling anemones or cerianthids
- Hexacorallia: 4,300 species of colonial polyps, usually with 6-fold symmetry. This includes all of the stony corals, which are vital for coral reef formation, and all sea anemones, and zoanthids.
- Octocorallia: 3,000 species of colonial polyps with 8-fold symmetry.[1] It includes the blue coral, soft corals, sea pens, and gorgonians (sea fans and sea whips).