Order BEROIDA Eschscholtz, 1825

Museums

Regional Maps

• Mictocoela Krumbach, T. 1925. Ctenophora. pp. 905-995 in Kukenthal, W. & Krumbach, T. (eds). Handbuch der Zoologie. Berlin : W. de Gruyter Vol. 1 [940].

Introduction

The order Beroida was first used by Eschscholtz (1825: 741) as Ordnung Acalephae Beroidae, to group the families Beroidae cavae (what is recognised today with Beroe and Neis), Beroidae lobatae (the lobates) and Beroidae tentaculatae (the tentaculates).

Chun (1879: 191) was apparently the first to use it in the modern sense (and even then he used 'Beroidae' as an order!), that is, referring only to the genera Beroe and Neis. This arragement has been widely adopted. Today, precisely the same set of taxa are grouped within the family Beroidae, the order Beroida, and the class Nuda. Over 50 species of Beroe have been described, covering all marine latitudes, but only one species of Neis is known, apparently confined to the southern coasts of Australia.

Species of Beroe are primarily predators on other ctenophores, but they also eat other gelatinous macroplankton. They can engulf prey as large as themselves; larger prey are bitten into pieces by the bundles of fused cilia which line the inner lips. Adults are brown, yellow, pink or milky white; some forms have prominent red, yellow, or brown spots. Some species attain 40 cm in height. From Harbison & Madin (1982).

Diagnosis

The body is strongly flattened in the tentacular plane, conical in form, with very wide mouth and voluminous stomodaeum, occupying most of the body. The aboral end is rounded (Beroe) or extended into two prominent keels (Neis). The aboral sensory organ is well developed and flanked by gelatinous papillae. The well-developed comb rows extend from one-half to most of the body height. The meridional canals have numerous side branches; the paragastric canals are simple, or have side branches. In some forms, the side branches anastomose, forming interconnections between canals in all parts of the body; in others, the canals are interconnected only by a circumoral ring.

Diagnosis References

Harbison, G.R. & Madin, L.P. 1982. Ctenophora. 707-715, pls 68-69 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Taxonomy and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 1 [715]

Hyman, L. H. 1940. Phylum Ctenophora. pp. 662-696 in Hyman, L. H. (ed.). The Invertebrates. Protozoa through Ctenophora. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 1 [663]

General References

Chun, C. 1879. Die im Golfe von Neapel erscheinenden Rippenquallen. Mittheilungen aus der Zoologischen Station zu Neapel 1(2): 180-217, tafel 6

Eschscholtz, F. 1825. Bericht über die zoologische Ausbeute während der Reise von Kronstadt bis St. Peter und Paul. Isis (von Oken) XVI: 733-747, pl. v

Harbison, G.R. & Madin, L.P. 1982. Ctenophora. 707-715, pls 68-69 in Parker, S.P. (ed.). Taxonomy and Classification of Living Organisms. New York : McGraw-Hill Vol. 1