Stauromedusae
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (March 2008) |
| Stalked jellyfishes | ||||||||
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 Stauromeduse from Ernst Haeckel's 1904 Kunstformen der Natur
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Cleistocarpidae |
Stauromedusae, or the stalked jellyfishes, is an order of jellyfish within the Cnidaria phylum that are unique in that they do not enter the medusa stage, instead remaining polyps throughout their lives. After the larvae crawl across the sea floor and find a suitable place, they attach themselves to what is usually rock or algae to develop. Unlike most jellyfish that practice strobilation, or the process of dividing themselves into body segments, which become new individuals, the Stauromedusae order develops directly into the adult. Although conventionally an order under the Scyphozoa class, recent evidence has suggested that they be elevated to a taxon equivalent of Scyphozoa and Cubozoa, which would be the Staurozoa class.
