Rhizostomae

Rhizostomae
Stomolophus meleagris
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia Phylum: Cnidaria Class: Scyphozoa Order: Rhizostomae
Families
See text.

Rhizostomae or Rhizostomeae is an order of jellyfish. Species of this order have neither tentacles nor other structures at the bell's edges. Instead, they have eight highly-branched oral arms, along which there are suctorial minimouth orifices. (This is in contrast to other scyphozoans, which have four of these arms.) These oral arms become fused as they approach the central part of the jellyfish. The mouth of the animal is also subdivided into minute pores that are linked to coelenteron.

Distribution

Generally observed at low latitudes, typically in the Pacific Ocean.

Families

• Suborder: Daktyliophorae
  • Catostylidae
  • Lobonematidae
  • Lychnorhizidae
  • Rhizostomatidae
  • Stomolophidae
• Suborder: Kolpophorae
  • Cassiopeidae
  • Cepheidae
  • Mastigiidae
  • Thysanostomatidae
  • Versurigidae

Gallery

Blue blubber jelly (Catostylus mosaicus) at the New England Aquarium.	Blubber jelly (Catostylus mosaicus) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.	Blubber jelly (Catostylus mosaicus) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.	Mastigias papua at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.
Australian spotted jellyfish (Phyllorhiza punctata).	Mediterranean Jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.	Mediterranean Jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata) at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

Unknown family

Genus Nemopilema nomurai (formerly Stomolophus nomurai), aka "Nomura's jellyfish" or "Echizen kurage"

References

• M. Omori and M. Kitamura (2004) Taxonomic review of three Japanese species of edible jellyfish (Scyphozoa: Rhizostomeae), Plankton Biol. Ecol. 51(1): 36-51.