Table 7. Physonect tentilla.
Family/genus | Length, shape and cnidoband details | Terminal filament(s) | References |
Dioecious: | |||
Pyrostephidae | <50 mm with straight cnidoband of many small rhopalonemes,likely acrophores and desmonemes, flanked proximally by a fewlarge heteroneme stenoteles (Figure 12A–B); no involucrum | Flexible with central axial canal andcomprising many of the same smallnematocysts as in the cnidoband | [14] |
Erennidae | <30 mm with straight cnidoband of many small haplonemes oftwo shapes flanked by slightly larger anisorhizas (Figure 12C);no involucrum | Stiff and with central axial canal but nonematocysts; pair of pigmentedphotophores near distal end | [15] |
Rhodaliidae | <1.5 mm with loosely coiled or straight cnidoband of, whereknown, numerous anisorhizas flanked by larger heteronemes(Figure 12D); no involucrum; tentilla carried only on thetentacles of type II gastrozooids in rhodaliids | Flexible and without central axialcanal; many smallrhopaloneme nematocysts (Table 6) | [4], [27], [45], [89] |
Marrus | <5 mm with straight or loosely coiled cnidoband of many small central haplonemes flanked by two rows of larger heteronemes (Figure 12E; Table 6); no involucrum | Flexible with a string of desmonemesand acrophores (Table 6)and no central canal | [90] |
Monoecious: | |||
Forskalia | <2 mm with pedicel contracted; coiled orange-red cnidobandof anisorhizas and possibly some isorhizas, flanked by two rowsof large stenoteles (Figure 12H); no involucrum | Flexible with repeating pattern of onepair of desmonemes and two pairsof acrophores in F. edwardsi andF. contorta | [16], [142] |
Physophora | <5 mm long with distal capsule enclosing inverted coiledcnidoband of many small anisorhizas flanked by a few largeyellow microbasic mastigophores at its attached distal end;cnidoband discharge via a pore at proximal end of capsule(Figure 12F, a–c). | Absent in mature tentilla | [9], [25], [128], [142], [144] |
Resomiidae | <9 mm with cnidoband of many anisorhizas flanked by severalmicrobasic mastigophores; tentilla from proximal end oftentacle with coiled cnidoband, and from distal end withzigzagged cnidoband (Figure 12G, a–b); involucrum complete,with extra swelling from pedicel floating above cnidoband andforming a lure in R. ornicephala | Flexible string of desmonemesand acrophores in R. ornicephala | [17], [91] |
Agalma | <4 mm with tightly coiled red cnidoband of many anisorhizasflanked proximally by microbasic mastigophores; completeinvolucrum (figure 13Aa). Larval tentilla on first tentacle only,small, with few nematocysts, long cnidocils for prey captureand no cnidoband or terminal filaments (Figure 13Ab) | Two flexible terminal filaments ofdesmonemes and acrophoresseparated by nematocyst-freeampulla in definitive tentillum | [68], [145], [147] |
Athorybia and Melophysa | Similar to Agalma, except that in Athorybia there is a secondtentillum type with uncoiled cnidoband, nematocyst-freedendritic processes arising from the pedicel, with theheteronemes of Athorybia rosacea being stenoteles | As above except that in Athorybia lucida there is no ampulla and the twoterminal filaments are loosely fusedalong their lengths | [34], [148] |
Halistemma | <6 mm with tightly coiled red cnidoband of many anisorhizasflanked proximally by stenoteles; very reduced involucrum(Figure 13B). | Flexible string of desmonemes andacrophores with specifically variabledistal swollen sinker (cupulate process)comprising ring of nematocysts with inertcap (H. cupulifera), smaller swelling (H. foliacea) or small spiral(H. rubrum) | [32], [92], [93], [128], [142] |
Nanomia | <9 mm with tightly coiled cnidoband; comprising 4500anisorhizas flanked proximally by 15–35 large stenotelesin N. bijuga, 14000 anisorhizas flanked by 70–80 stenotelesin N. cara; partial involucrum (Figure 13C) | Flexible string of one or two typesof smaller desmonemes andrhopalonemes (probably acrophores) | [67], [149] |
Lychnagalma | <7.5 mm with large complexly coiled red cnidoband of manylikely anisorhizas, flanked by two rows of larger heteronemes,probably stenoteles; complete involucrum (Figure 16C) | Eight terminal filaments surroundinga large nematocyst-free ampullawhich acts as a lure | [131] |
Cordagalma | <0.14 mm long with retained larval tentillum inC. ordinata 4–7 heteronemes, 15 haplonemes (Figure 13D);definitive tentillum in C. tottoni | – | [67], [94], [130] |
Frillagalma | <2 mm, unique tentillum with no cnidoband;instead a simple capsule with 3 proximalstenoteles and 30–35 distalanisorhizas (Figure 13E) | Absent; tentillum with 2 sequentialampullae only beyond the cnidosac | [97] |
Note: tentillum lengths given here include cnidoband and any terminal structures and are derived from photographic images of tentilla, where available, most preserved (and therefore contracted).