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Date & Time : 24, April 2024 06:48
Classification
Phylum - Cnidaria
Class - Hydrozoa
Order - Hydroida
Genus - Obelia
Common Name
Sea Fur
Geographical Distribution
It is found from Arctic region to the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific coast, and from Southern California to Oregon.
Habitat
It is colonial, marine, sedentary hydrozoan zoophyte found attached on piles, rocks and sea weeds in shallow water.
Identifying Features
- It is a colonial hydroid.
- The colony consists of basal horizontal portion, the hydrorhiza which is attached with the substratum and number of vertical branches known as hydrocauli arising from hydrorhiza.
- The colony is trimorphic having three types of zooids, e.g., hydranth, blastostyle and medusa.
- Hydranth or polyp has a cylindrical body attached to the axis of the hydrocaulus by its proximal end free at its distal end.
- It is covered by cup-shaped hydrotheca. It is nutritive zooid of colony.
- The hypostome is surrounded by a number of solid tentacles provided with nematocytes.
- Blastostyle or reproductive zooid is cup-shaped without mouth and tentacles.
- It is enclosed by a covering, gonotheca.
- It gives rise to buds which later become flattened and develope into new medusae.
- Medusa is bell-shaped with a concave and convex side. It contains marginal tentacles, four radial canals, a ring canal, four gonads born on the radial canals and hanging central manubrium on the concave side.
- The medusae are free swimming.
- Life history of Obelia exhibit an alternation of generation, called metagenesis.
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