List of cnidarians of Ireland
There are 302 species of cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria) recorded in Ireland.[1]
The cnidarians' distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick. They have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mouths surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. Both forms have a single orifice and body cavity that are used for digestion and respiration. Many cnidarian species produce colonies that are single organisms composed of medusa-like or polyp-like zooids, or both (hence they are trimorphic).[2][3][4]
Cnidarians found in Ireland and Irish waters include sea pens, sea anemones, hydroids, sea jellies ("jellyfish") and corals.
Order Actiniaria (sea anemones)
[edit]Family Actiniidae
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- Actinia equina (beadlet anemone)
- Actinia fragacea (strawberry anemone)
- Anemonia viridis (snakelocks anemone)
- Anthopleura ballii (red speckled anemone)
- Aulactinia verrucosa (gem anemone)
- Urticina eques
- Urticina felina (northern red anemones, dahlia anemone)
Family Actinostolidae
[edit]
Family Aiptasiidae
[edit]Family Edwardsiidae
[edit]- Edwardsia claparedii
- Edwardsia delapiae
- Edwardsia timida (timid burrowing anemone)
- Edwardsiella carnea
- Scolanthus callimorphus
Family Gonactiniidae
[edit]Family Halcampidae
[edit]Family Halcampoididae
[edit]Family Haloclavidae
[edit]Family Hormathiidae
[edit]
- Adamsia carciniopados
- Adamsia palliata (cloak anemone)
- Calliactis parasitica
- Cataphellia brodricii
- Hormathia coronata
Family Metridiidae
[edit]- Metridium senile (plumose anemone, frilled anemone)
Family Sagartiidae
[edit]- Actinothoe sphyrodeta
- Cereus pedunculatus (daisy anemone)
- Phellia gausapata
- Sagartia elegans
- Sagartia ornata
- Sagartia troglodytes (mud sagartia, cave-dwelling anemone)
- Sagartiogeton laceratus
- Sagartiogeton undatus
Order Alcyonacea (soft corals)
[edit]Family Alcyoniidae
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- Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers)
- Alcyonium glomeratum (red sea fingers)
- Alcyonium hibernicum (pink sea fingers)
- Parerythropodium coralloides
Family Gorgoniidae
[edit]
- Eunicella verrucosa (broad sea fan, pink sea fan, warty gorgonian)
Family Plexauridae
[edit]- Swiftia pallida (northern sea fan)
Order Ceriantharia (tube-dwelling anemone)
[edit]Family Arachnactidae
[edit]
Family Cerianthidae
[edit]
- Cerianthus lloydii (lesser cylinder anemone)
- Pachycerianthus multiplicatus (firework anemone)
Order Corallimorpharia
[edit]Family Corallimorphidae
[edit]Order Pennatulacea (sea pens)
[edit]Family Virgulariidae
[edit]Order Zoantharia
[edit]Family Epizoanthidae
[edit]Family Parazoanthidae
[edit]
- Isozoanthus sulcatus
- Parazoanthus anguicomus
- Parazoanthus axinellae (yellow cluster anemone)
Order Anthoathecata (athecate hydroids)
[edit]Family Bougainvilliidae
[edit]
Family Candelabridae
[edit]Family Corymorphidae
[edit]Family Eudendriidae
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Family Hydractiniidae
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- Clava multicornis
- Hydractinia echinata (snail fur)
- Hydra viridissima (green hydra)[5]
- Hydra vulgaris (common hydra)[5]
Family Pandeiidae
[edit]Family Porpitidae (chondrophores)
[edit]
- Velella velella (sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail)
Family Tubulariidae
[edit].png)
- Ectopleura larynx
- Tubularia indivisa (oaten pipes hydroid)
Order Leptomedusae (thecate hydroids)
[edit]Family Aequoreidae
[edit]Family Aglaopheniidae
[edit]- Aglaophenia acacia
- Aglaophenia kirchenpaueri
- Aglaophenia pluma (toothed feather hydroid, podded hydroid)
- Aglaophenia tubiformis
- Aglaophenia tubulifera
- Gymnangium montagui
- Lytocarpia myriophyllum
Family Campanulariidae
[edit]- Campanularia hincksii
- Clytia hemisphaerica
- Laomedea angulata
- Laomedea flexuosa
- Obelia dichotoma
- Obelia geniculata
- Obelia longissima
- Obelia plicata
- Rhizocaulus verticillatus
Family Haleciidae
[edit]Family Halopterididae
[edit]Family Kirchenpaueriidae
[edit]Family Plumulariidae
[edit]- Nemertesia antennina
- Nemertesia ramosa
- Plumularia argentea
- Plumularia cupressina
- Plumularia distans
- Plumularia setacea (plumed hydroid, little sea bristle)
- Polyplumaria flabellata
Family Sertulariidae
[edit]- Abietinaria abietina
- Abietinaria filicula
- Amphisbetia operculata
- Diphasia alata
- Diphasia attenuata
- Diphasia fallax
- Diphasia nigra
- Diphasia pinaster
- Diphasia rosacea
- Dynamena pumila
- Hydrallmania falcata
- Sertularella fusiformis
- Sertularella gayi
- Sertularella mediterranea
- Sertularella polyzonias
- Sertularella rugosa
- Tamarisca tamarisca
- Thuiaria articulata (jointed hydroid)
- Thuiaria thuja
Order Limnomedusae
[edit]Family Olindiidae
[edit]
Order Siphonophorae (siphonophores)
[edit]Family Apolemiidae
[edit]
- Apolemia uvaria (string jellyfish, barbed wire jellyfish, long stringy stingy thingy)
Family Physaliidae
[edit].jpg)
- Physalia physalis (Portuguese man-o'-war, blue bottle, floating terror)
Order Rhizostomeae
[edit]Family Rhizostomatidae
[edit]
- Rhizostoma pulmo (barrel jelly, dustbin-lid jelly, frilly-mouthed jelly)
Order Semaeostomeae (flag-mouth sea jellies)
[edit]
- Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jelly)
- Cyanea lamarckii (blue jelly, bluefire)
Family Pelagiidae
[edit]- Chrysaora hysoscella (compass jelly)
- Pelagia noctiluca (mauve stinger)
- Aurelia aurita (moon jelly, common jelly, saucer jelly)
Order Scleractinia (stony corals, hard corals)
[edit]Family Caryophylliidae
[edit]
- Caryophyllia inornata
- Caryophyllia smithii (Devonshire cup coral)
- Lophelia pertusa[7]
Family Oculinidae
[edit].jpg)
- Madrepora oculata (zigzag coral)[7]
Order Stauromedusae (stalked jellies)
[edit]Family Craterolophidae
[edit]Family Kishinouyeidae
[edit]Family Lucernariidae
[edit]- Haliclystus auricula (kaleidoscope jelly)
References
[edit]- ^ "Irish Biodiversity: a taxonomic inventory of fauna" (PDF). Retrieved 2023-08-21.
- ^ "Species Browser".
- ^ "Home" (PDF).
- ^ "Sea Anemones and Corals - OceanAddicts".
- ^ a b "Common Hydra (Hydra vulgaris) - Detail - Biodiversity Maps".
- ^ "Craspedacusta sowerbyi - Detail - Biodiversity Maps".
- ^ a b "Coral reefs in Irish Waters".