Phylum: Cnidaria (Jellyfish, Corals, Sea Anemones etc.)
"The phylum Cnidaria (pronounced “nih DARE ee uh”) includes soft-bodied stinging animals such as corals, sea anemones, and jellyfish. The phylum’s name is derived from the Greek root word cnid- meaning nettle, a stinging plant. Cnidarians are found in many aquatic environments. Sea anemones are widely distributed, from cold arctic waters to the equator, from shallow tide pools to the bottom of the deep ocean. Jellyfish float near the surface of the open oceans and in some tropical freshwater lakes. Corals are found primarily in shallow tropical waters, but a few grow in deep cold ocean waters. Small anemone-like cnidarians like Hydra sp. are also found in freshwater lakes and streams. Cnidarians range in size from tiny animals no bigger than a pinhead to graceful giants with trailing tentacles several meters long... The body plans cnidarians generally have [includes] radial symmetry. Because the tentacles of corals, jellyfish, and sea anemones have this radial structure, they can sting and capture food coming from any direction...
Many cnidarians take two main structural forms during their life cycles, a polyp form and a medusa form. The polyp form has a body shaped like a hollow cylinder or a bag that opens and closes at the top (Fig. 3.25 A). Tentacles form a ring around a small mouth at the top of the bag. The mouth leads to a central body cavity, the gastrovascular cavity (Fig. 3.24 B). Polyps attach to hard surfaces with their mouths up. Because they are sessile organisms, they can only capture food that touches their tentacles. Their mesoglea layer is very thin. Corals and sea anemones are polyps. Most of these animals are small, but a few sea anemones can grow as large as 1 meter in diameter. The second structural form that cnidarians have is called the medusa form. Medusa bodies are shaped like an umbrella with the mouth and tentacles hanging down in the water. The mouth leads upward into the gastrovascular cavity. Medusae (plural; the singular form is medusa) are not sessile, but rather are motile, meaning that they swim freely in the ocean. Their mesoglea is thick and makes up most of their bulk. Jellyfish are medusae. Medusae come in many sizes ranging from small 2.5-centimeter-long box jellies to the lion’s mane jellyfish, which has an umbrella over 2 m across. In many ways polyps and medusae are really the same basic body plan, except each is upside down compared to the other. Some cnidarians go through both a polyp and medusa phase in their life cycle. However, one or the other is the dominant phase in different species."
Read more: https://manoa.hawaii.edu/exploringourfluidearth/biological/invertebrates/phylum-cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa (Sea anemones, stony corals, soft corals, sea pens)
Class: Hexacorallia (Hexacorallians or Hexacorals)
Order: Actiniaria (Sea anemones)
Family: Edwardsiidae (Edwardsiids)
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Edwardsia ivelli | Manuel, 1975 | Ivell's sea anenome | 1983 | Widewater Lagoon, West Sussex, England | Missing | Access |
Order: Antipatharia (Black corals or Thorn corals)
—No subordinate taxa
Order: Ceriantharia (Tube-dwelling anemones or Tube anemones)
—No subordinate taxa
Order: Corallimorpharia (Corallimorphs)
—No subordinate taxa
Order: Scleractinia (Stony corals or Hard corals [true corals])
Family: Dendrophylliidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Rhizopsammia wellingtoni | Wells, 1982 | Wellington's solitary coral | (rediscovered) | Galápagos Archipelago | Rediscovered | Access |
Family: Montastraeidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Orbicella nancyi | (Pandolfi, 2007) | Organ-pipe orbicella | 82ka | Caribbean (San Andrés; Barbados; Lesser and the Greater Antilles; Curaςao) | Extinct | Access |
Family: Mussidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Scolymia cubensis | Milne Edwards & Haime, 1849 | Artichoke coral | (rediscovered) | Jamaica | Rediscovered | Access |
Family: Oculinidae
–No subordinate taxa
Family: Pocilloporidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Pocillopora palmata | Palmer, 1928 | - | Late Pleistocene | Caribbean | Extinct | Access |
Family: Rhizangiidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Siderastrea glynni | Budd & Guzman, 1994 | - | 1992 | Panama | Invalid (synonym) | Access |
Order: Zoantharia (Zoanthids)
Family: Neozoanthidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Neozoanthus tulearensis | Herberts, 1972 | - | (rediscovered) | Madagascar, Ryukyu Islands, Japan & Queensland, Australia | Rediscovered | Access |
Class: Octocorallia (Octocorallians or Octocorals: Soft corals [not true corals, those belong to the order Scleractinia of the class Hexacorallia], Gorgonians [or Sea fans or Sea whips], Sea pens)
Order: Malacalcyonacea
Family: Nidaliidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Nidalia studeri | G. von Koch, 1891 | - | (rediscovered) | Mediterranean | Rediscovered | Access |
Order: Scleralcyonacea
–No subordinate taxa
Subphylum: Endocnidozoa [obligate parasites]
Class: Myxozoa
Order: Bivalvulida
Family: Sphaerosporidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Sphaerospora ranae | Morelle, 1929 | - | (rediscovered) | Czech Republic | Rediscovered | Access |
Order: Multivalvulida
–No subordinate taxa
Class: Polypodiozoa [monotypic!: Polypodium hydriforme]
–No subordinate taxa
Subphylum: Medusozoa (Medusozoans)
Class: Cubozoa (Box jellyfish)
Order: Carybdeida
Family: Alatinidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Alatina grandis | Agassiz & Mayer, 1902 | - | (rediscovered) | French Polynesia to Arabian Sea | Rediscovered | Access |
Order: Chirodropida
–No subordinate taxa
Class: Hydrozoa (Hydrozoans: Fire corals, Hydroid jellyfishes, Siphonophores, etc.)
Subclass: Hydroidolina
Order: Anthoathecata
Family: Acaulidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Acauloides ilonae | (Brinckmann-Voss, 1966) | - | 1960-1961 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Cladonematidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Staurocladia portmanni | Brinckmann, 1964 | - | 1963 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Corymorphidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Branchiocerianthus italicus | Stechow, 1921 | - | 1905 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
| Siphonohydra adriatica | Salvini-Plawen, 1966 | - | 1965 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Corynidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Coryne caespes | Allman, 1871 | - | 1871 or before | Mediterranean | Missing if valid | Access |
| Coryne fucicola | (De Filipi, 1864) | - | (rediscovered) | Mediterranean | Rediscovered | Access |
Family: Milleporidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Millepora boschmai | De Weerdt & Glynn, 1991 | Boschmai's fire coral | early 1990's | Gulf of Chiriquí, Panama (& Indonesia?) | Missing if valid | Access |
Family: Pandeidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Codonorchis octaedrus | Haeckel, 1879 | - | (rediscovered) | Europe | Rediscovered | Access |
| Merga galleri | Brinckmann, 1962 | - | 13 July 1961 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Ptilocodiidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Tregoubovia atentaculata | Picard, 1958 | - | 1955 or later | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Rathkeidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Lizzia octostyla | (Haeckel, 1879) | - | - | Mediterranean | Erroneously listed as Missing | Access |
Family: Rosalindidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Rosalinda incrustans | Kramp, 1947 | - | (rediscovered) | Mediterranean | Rediscovered | Access |
Family: Tubulariidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Hybocodon chilensis | Hartlaub, 1905 | - | (rediscovered) | Chile | Rediscovered | Access |
Order: Leptothecata
Family: Aglaopheniidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Gymnangium sibogae | (Billard, 1913) | - | (rediscovered) | Indonesia (including the Moluccas) | Rediscovered | Access |
Family: Laodiceidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Melicertissa adriatica | Neppi, 1915 | - | 1922 or before | Adriatic Sea, Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Lovenellidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Eucheilota maasi | Neppi & Stiasny, 1911 | - | 1913-1914 | Mediterranean | Missing or Rediscovered | Access |
| Hydranthea aloysii | (Zoja, 1893) | - | 1953 | Mediterranean | Missing if valid | Access |
Family: Melicertidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Orchistomella graeffei | (Neppi & Stiasny, 1911) | - | 1966 | Mediterranean | Missing if valid | Access |
Family: Plumulariidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Callicarpa chazaliei | Versluys, 1899 | - | (rediscovered) | Brazil, Florida & Venezuela | Rediscovered | Access |
| Plumularia syriaca | Billard, 1931 | - | 1929 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Family: Tiaropsidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Octogonade mediterranea | Zoja, 1896 | - | 1922 or before | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
| Tiaropsidium mediterraneum | (Metschnikoff, 1886) | - | 1914 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Order: Siphonophorae (Siphonophores)
–No subordinate taxa
Subclass: Trachylinae
Order: Actinulida
–No subordinate taxa
Order: Limnomedusae
Family: Olindiidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Astrohydra japonica | Hashimoto, 1981 | yume-no-kurage | (rediscovered) | Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan | Rediscovered | Access |
| Craspedacusta iseanum | (Oka & Hara, 1922) | - | c.1922 | Japan | Missing | Access |
Order: Narcomedusae
Family: Cuninidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Cunina polygonia | (Haeckel, 1879) | - | 1877-1878 | Mediterranean | Missing if valid | Access |
| Cunina proboscidea | Metschnikoff & Metschnikoff, 1871 | - | 1962 | Mediterranean | Missing | Access |
Order: Trachymedusae
–No subordinate taxa
Class: Scyphozoa (True jellyfish)
Subclass: Coronamedusae
Order: Coronatae
–No subordinate taxa
Subclass: Discomedusae
Order: Rhizostomeae
Family: Catostylidae
| Scientific Name | Author/s | Common Name | Last Record | Distribution | Status | Taxon Profile |
| Crambione cookii | Mayer, 1910 | - | (rediscovered) | Queensland, Australia | Rediscovered | Access |
Order: Semaeostomeae
–No subordinate taxa
Class: Staurozoa (Stalked jellyfish)
Order: Stauromedusae
–No subordinate taxa
Subphylum: Cnidaria incertae sedis (temporary name)
Family: Tesseranthidae
–No subordinate taxa
Appendix 1: Rediscovery turned out to be a new species
Galaxea paucisepta:
Claereboudt, M. (1990). Galaxea paucisepta nom. nov. (for G. pauciradiata), rediscovery and redescription of a poorly known scleractinian species (Oculinidae). Galaxea 9: 1-8.
Hoeksema, B. W. (1993). Some misapplied nomina nova in reef coral taxonomy (Scleractinia). Zoologische Mededelingen 67(3): 41-47.
Statistics
| Conservation status | Number of taxa (in percentage) |
| Extinct | 2 (5.4%) |
| Missing | 13 (35.14%) |
| Extinct in the Wild | 0 |
| Possibly Extinct in the Wild | 0 |
| Globally Rediscovered | 14 (37.84%) |
| Rediscovered in the Wild | 0 |
| Reintroduced | 0 |
| Hypothetical | 0 |
| Invalid | 1 (2.7%) |
| Erroneously listed | 1 (2.7%) |
| Uncertain status | 6 (16.22%) |
| Total | 37 |