CLASSIFICATION OF CHIROPSALMUS
PHYLUM :- COELENTRATA (Tissue grade, diploblastic and acoelomate. )
CLASS :- SCYPHOZOA (Medusa well developed, hydroid reduced.)
ORDER :- CUBOMEDUSAE (Bell margin bent inward forming false velum.)
GENUS :- Chiropsalmus
GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION
Found in U.S.A. (California).
HABIT AND HABITAT
Chiropsalmus is marine, and solitary inhabiting bays, harbours, shorewaters and in open sea. It is also strong and graceful swimmer and voracious feeder on fishes. It is found in warm waters. Young stages are bottom dwellers, while adults are pelagic.
GENERAL CHARACTERSTICS OF CHIROPSALMUS
- Body is bell-shaped with somewhat rounded upper surface.
- Body divisible into ex-umbrellar and sub-umbrellar surfaces.
- Ex-umbrellar surface has angular membrane, called as velarium, which together with their energetic swimming gives the animals the appearance of hydromedusans.
- Upper parts of the gastric pockets are evaginated and hang down into the sub-umbrellar cavity as eight simple or branched sub-umbrellar sacs.
- On each side of the bell comer emerges a large thick smaller pedalia with tentacles. pedalium that branches into a number of
- Four rhopalia are found between the tentacles.
SPECIAL FEATURES
- Chiropsalmus is one of the most dangerous coelenterates and is greatly feared by Philippinese and Japanese natives who term it ‘fire medusa’. Its sting can cause serious illness and even death.
IDENTIFICATION
- The animal contains pedalium, pedalia and all above characters and hence it is Chiropsalmus.
