Box jellyfish
class of cnidarians
Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian animals distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including Chironex fleckeri, Carukia barnesi, Malo kingi, and a few others, are extremely painful and often fatal to humans. Some species like the Carybdea murrayana produce a painful sting but are not fatal to humans.
Taxonomy and systematics
Historically, cubozoans were classified as an order of Scyphozoa until 1973, when they were put in their own class due to their unique biological cycle (lack of strobilation) and morphology.
At least 51 species of box jellyfish were known as of 2018. These are grouped into two orders and eight families. A few new species have since been described, and it is likely that additional undescribed species remain.
Class Cubozoa
Order Carybdeida
Family Alatinidae
Family Carukiidae
Family Carybdeidae
Family Tamoyidae
Family Tripedaliidae
Order Chirodropida
Family Chirodropidae
Family Chiropsalmidae
Family Chiropsellidae
Description
The medusa form of a box jellyfish has a squarish, box-like bell, from which its name is derived. From each of the four lower corners of this hangs a short pedalium or stalk which bears one or more long, slender, hollow tentacles.
The public source identifies “Box jellyfish” as class of cnidarians. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around jellyfish, class and cnidarians.
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This entry incorporates text from “Box jellyfish” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.