. Dangerous marine animals. Marine animals. \*Al. Chapter III MARINE ANIMALS THAT STING INVERTEBRATES Venomous marine invertebrates, or marine animals without backbones that inflict their injuries by stinging, can be grouped into four major categories: 1. Coelenterates 2. Molluscs 3. Annelid Worms 4. Echinoderms —Hydroids, Jellyfishes, Corals, and Sea Anemones —Univalve shellfish, and Octopuses —Stinging or Bristle Worms —Sea Urchins Coelenterates The coelenterates, which includes the hydroids, jellyfishes, corals, and sea anemones, are simple, many-celled organisms. In addition to a number of
. Dangerous marine animals. Marine animals. \*Al. Chapter III MARINE ANIMALS THAT STING INVERTEBRATES Venomous marine invertebrates, or marine animals without backbones that inflict their injuries by stinging, can be grouped into four major categories: 1. Coelenterates 2. Molluscs 3. Annelid Worms 4. Echinoderms —Hydroids, Jellyfishes, Corals, and Sea Anemones —Univalve shellfish, and Octopuses —Stinging or Bristle Worms —Sea Urchins Coelenterates The coelenterates, which includes the hydroids, jellyfishes, corals, and sea anemones, are simple, many-celled organisms. In addition to a number of other technical characters, they all possess tentacles equipped with nematocysts or stinging cells. It is these stinging cells which make them of interest to the skin diver. The coelenterates are divided into three principal classes: I. Hydrozoa: the hydroids. To this class belong the hydroids which are commonly found growing in plume-like tufts on rocks, seaweeds and pilings. Some of the more common stinging mem- bers of this group are the following: Stinging or Fire Coral, Millepora alcicoimis Linnaeus (See Frontis.). This false coral is generally found living among true corals along reefs in the warm waters of the tropical Pacific, Indian Ocean, Red Sea, and Caribbean Sea. Portuguese-Man-O'-War or Blue Bottle, Physalia physalis (Linnaeus) (Frontis). This hydroid is most commonly mistaken for a true jellyfish. Actually, it is a colonial hydroid. It is almost always found floating at the surface of the water. Suspended from the balloon-like floats are the stinging tentacles which may trail sev- eral feet down into the water. This particular species inhabits the tropical Atlantic, going as far north as the Bay of Fundy, the Hebrides, and the Mediterranean Sea. A closely allied species is found in the Indo-Pacific area, Hawaii, and southern Japan. II. Scyphozoa: The true jellyfishes. This class includes the larger medusae, having eight notches in the margin of the bell.
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