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Class STAUROZOA Haeckel, 1880


Compiler and date details

June 2012 - Lisa-ann Gershwin

DRAFT RECORD

This taxon is under review. This record is released now for public view, prior to final verification. For further information or comment email us.



Introduction

The Staurozoa is the Cnidaria's newest class, being officially recognised for the first time in 2004 (Marques & Collins, 2004). As defined, it comprises the benthic Stauromedusae plus the fossil Conulatae, the latter long throught to be ancestors of the coronate scyphozoans.

Prior to being recognised as a class, the Stauromedusae were long considered to be an order of the Scyphozoa. However, they bear many morphological, behavioural, and developmental differences from the other scyphozoans, and the advent of molecular analysis has supported their uniqueness.

 

Diagnosis

The class Staurozoa was proposed by Marques & Collins (2004: 27) for the group previously known as the Stauromedusae sensu Haeckel. Specifically, Marques and Collins demonstrated that the stauromedusae collectively form the sister group to the Cubozoa, thus making their historical inclusion in the Class Scyphozoa now untenable. Thus, the work of Marques and Collins is an advancement to scientific knowledge, but the credit of the name should nonetheless remain with Haeckel according to the Principle of Coordination (International Commission on Zoological Nomenclature, 1999).

The Staurozoa comprises the benthic Cnidaria of the orders Stauromedusae and Conulatae.

 

History of changes

Note that this list may be incomplete for dates prior to September 2013.
Published As part of group Action Date Action Type Compiler(s)
13-Aug-2013 MODIFIED