User:Oksana2024/Cystonectae

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INTRODUCTION

The Cystonectae is a suborder of siphonophores order, which is part of the Hydrozoa class which is within the Cnidaria phylum within the Animalia kingdom.

The suborder Cystonectae includes the Portuguese man o' war (Physalia physalis) and Bathyphysa conifera, sometimes called the "flying spaghetti monster."

DIET

The nematocysts of Cystonectae, which are a component of their tentacles, are used for capturing prey. They can only penetrate soft exteriors, and are not adept at catching prey with harder outer-bodies such as that of shrimp. Their diet largely consists of fish larvae but can vary slightly depending on the species. Cystonectae have a lack of complexity in the nematocysts, which lessens the variety of foods they can eat. The Physalia physalis consume a variety of bigger fish such as eel larvae and certain small fish and cephalopods.

REPRODUCTION

The reproduction of Cystonectae has been most studied in Physalia physalis. They are dioecious and within their gonophore, they either have female or male gametes. Fertilization occurs in the open waters, outside of the organism. Zoids, which are animals that are their own unit and live, came from individual buds along a stem. And Cystonectae are all long-stemmed.

ANATOMY

The Physalia physalis are a member of the pleuston, which are marine organisms with the ability to interact with the air at the surface of the water. The organism has a float which is gas filled and allows them to float to the very surface. This is a unique feature of this order. They are also identifiable by not possessing swimming bells, which other orders have. Cystonectae are also identifiable anatomically due to the presence of a pneumatophore and a siphosome and lacking a nectosome. This order also has a weaker defense system due to them lacking bracts, which is a shielding mechanism present in other clades.