Jellyfish - Taxonomy

Taxonomy

See also: alpha taxonomy, Linnean taxonomy, taxon, and binomial nomenclature

Taxonomic classification systematics within the Cnidaria, as with all organisms, are always in flux. Many scientists who work on relationships between these groups are reluctant to assign ranks, although there is general agreement on the different groups, regardless of their absolute rank. Presented here is one scheme, which includes all groups that produce medusae (jellyfish), derived from several expert sources:

Jellyfish taxonomy (phylum Cnidaria: subphylum Medusozoa)
Class	Subclass	Order	Suborder	Families
Hydrozoa	Hydroidolina	Anthomedusae	Filifera	see
			Capitata	see
		Leptomedusae	Conica	see
			Proboscoida	see
		Siphonophorae	Physonectae	Agalmatidae, Apolemiidae, Erennidae, Forskaliidae, Physophoridae, Pyrostephidae, Rhodaliidae
			Calycophorae	Abylidae, Clausophyidae, Diphyidae, Hippopodiidae, Prayidae, Sphaeronectidae
			Cystonectae	Physaliidae, Rhizophysidae
	Trachylina	Limnomedusae		Olindiidae, Monobrachiidae, Microhydrulidae, Armorhydridae
		Trachymedusae		Geryoniidae, Halicreatidae, Petasidae, Ptychogastriidae, Rhopalonematidae
		Narcomedusae		Cuninidae, Solmarisidae, Aeginidae, Tetraplatiidae
		Actinulidae		Halammohydridae, Otohydridae
Staurozoa		Eleutherocarpida		Lucernariidae, Kishinouyeidae, Lipkeidae, Kyopodiidae
		Cleistocarpida		Depastridae, Thaumatoscyphidae, Craterolophidae
Cubozoa				Carybdeidae, Alatinidae, Tamoyidae, Chirodropidae, Chiropsalmidae
Scyphozoa		Coronatae		Atollidae, Atorellidae, Linuchidae, Nausithoidae, Paraphyllinidae, Periphyllidae
		Semaeostomeae		Cyaneidae, Drymonematidae, Pelagiidae, Phacellophoridae, Ulmaridae
		Rhizostomeae		Cassiopeidae, Catostylidae, Cepheidae, Lobonematidae, Lychnorhizidae, Mastigiidae, Rhizostomatidae, Stomolophidae, Thysanostomatidae, Versurigidae