List of cnidarians of Ireland
There are 302 species of cnidarians (phylum Cnidaria) recorded in Ireland.[1]
The cnidarians' distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance, sandwiched between two layers of epithelium that are mostly one cell thick. They have two basic body forms: swimming medusae and sessile polyps, both of which are radially symmetrical with mouths surrounded by tentacles that bear cnidocytes. Both forms have a single orifice and body cavity that are used for digestion and respiration. Many cnidarian species produce colonies that are single organisms composed of medusa-like or polyp-like zooids, or both (hence they are trimorphic).[2][3][4]
Cnidarians found in Ireland and Irish waters include sea pens, sea anemones, hydroids, sea jellies ("jellyfish") and corals.
Class Anthozoa
Order Actiniaria (sea anemones)
Family Actiniidae
- Actinia equina (beadlet anemone)
- Actinia fragacea (strawberry anemone)
- Anemonia viridis (snakelocks anemone)
- Anthopleura ballii (red speckled anemone)
- Aulactinia verrucosa (gem anemone)
- Urticina eques
- Urticina felina (northern red anemones, dahlia anemone)
Family Aiptasiidae
Family Capneidae
- Capnea sanguinea
Family Edwardsiidae
- Edwardsia claparedii
- Edwardsia delapiae
- Edwardsia timida
- Edwardsiella carnea
- Scolanthus callimorphus
Family Gonactiniidae
- Gonactinia prolifera
Family Halcampidae
- Halcampa chrysanthellum
Family Halcampoididae
- Halcampoides elongatus
Family Hormathiidae
![](../I/m/Pagurus_bernhardus.jpg)
- Adamsia carciniopados
- Adamsia palliata (cloak anemone)
- Calliactis parasitica
- Cataphellia brodricii
- Hormathia coronata
Family Metridiidae
- Metridium senile (plumose anemone, frilled anemone)
Family Sagartiidae
- Actinothoe sphyrodeta
- Cereus pedunculatus (daisy anemone)
- Phellia gausapata
- Sagartia elegans
- Sagartia ornata
- Sagartia troglodytes (mud sagartia, cave-dwelling anemone)
- Sagartiogeton laceratus
- Sagartiogeton undatus
Order Alcyonacea (soft corals)
Family Alcyoniidae
![](../I/m/Tote_Meerhand_(Alcyonium_digitatum)_2.jpg)
- Alcyonium digitatum (dead man's fingers)
- Alcyonium glomeratum (red sea fingers)
- Alcyonium hibernicum (pink sea fingers)
- Parerythropodium coralloides
Family Gorgoniidae
- Eunicella verrucosa (broad sea fan, pink sea fan, warty gorgonian)
Family Plexauridae
- Swiftia pallida (northern sea fan)
Order Ceriantharia (tube-dwelling anemone)
Family Cerianthidae
- Cerianthus lloydii (lesser cylinder anemone)
- Pachycerianthus multiplicatus (firework anemone)
Order Corallimorpharia
Order Pennatulacea (sea pens)
Family Virgulariidae
- Virgularia mirabilis
Order Zoantharia
Family Epizoanthidae
- Epizoanthus couchii
Family Parazoanthidae
- Isozoanthus sulcatus
- Parazoanthus anguicomus
- Parazoanthus axinellae (yellow cluster anemone)
Class Hydrozoa
Order Anthoathecata (athecate hydroids)
Family Candelabridae
- Candelabrum phrygium
Family Corymorphidae
Family Corynidae
- Coryne eximia
- Coryne muscoides
- Sarsia densa
Family Eudendriidae
![](../I/m/2012-10-19_Cabrillo_Acquarium_085_(8104366206).jpg)
Family Hydridae (hydras)
- Hydra viridissima (green hydra)[5]
- Hydra vulgaris (common hydra)[6]
Family Pandeiidae
- Leuckartiara octona
- Neoturris pileata
Family Porpitidae (chondrophores)
![](../I/m/Velella_Bae_an_Anaon.jpg)
- Velella velella (sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail)
Family Tubulariidae
![](../I/m/Tubularia_indivisa_colony_(from_Allman%2C_1872).png)
- Ectopleura larynx
- Tubularia indivisa (oaten pipes hydroid)
Order Leptomedusae (thecate hydroids)
Family Aequoreidae
- Aequorea forskalea
- Aequorea vitrina
Family Aglaopheniidae
- Aglaophenia acacia
- Aglaophenia kirchenpaueri
- Aglaophenia pluma (toothed feather hydroid, podded hydroid)
- Aglaophenia tubiformis
- Aglaophenia tubulifera
- Gymnangium montagui
- Lytocarpia myriophyllum
Family Campanulariidae
- Campanularia hincksii
- Clytia hemisphaerica
- Laomedea angulata
- Laomedea flexuosa
- Obelia dichotoma
- Obelia geniculata
- Obelia longissima
- Obelia plicata
- Rhizocaulus verticillatus
Family Haleciidae
- Halecium beanii
- Halecium halecinum
- Halecium muricatum
- Halecium plumosum
Family Halopterididae
- Antennella secundaria
- Halopteris catharina
- Schizotricha frutescens
Family Kirchenpaueriidae
- Kirchenpaueria pinnata
Family Lafoeidae
- Lafoea dumosa
Family Plumulariidae
- Nemertesia antennina
- Nemertesia ramosa
- Plumularia argentea
- Plumularia cupressina
- Plumularia distans
- Plumularia setacea (plumed hydroid, little sea bristle)
- Polyplumaria flabellata
Family Sertulariidae
- Abietinaria abietina
- Abietinaria filicula
- Amphisbetia operculata
- Diphasia alata
- Diphasia attenuata
- Diphasia fallax
- Diphasia nigra
- Diphasia pinaster
- Diphasia rosacea
- Dynamena pumila
- Hydrallmania falcata
- Sertularella fusiformis
- Sertularella gayi
- Sertularella mediterranea
- Sertularella polyzonias
- Sertularella rugosa
- Tamarisca tamarisca
- Thuiaria articulata (jointed hydroid)
- Thuiaria thuja
Order Limnomedusae
Order Siphonophorae (siphonophores)
Family Apolemiidae
![](../I/m/Apolemia_uvaria.jpg)
- Apolemia uvaria (string jellyfish, barbed wire jellyfish, long stringy stingy thingy)
Family Physaliidae
![](../I/m/Portuguese_Man-O-War_(Physalia_physalis).jpg)
- Physalia physalis (Portuguese man-o'-war, blue bottle, floating terror)
Class Scyphozoa (true sea jellies)
Order Rhizostomae
Family Rhizostomatidae
- Rhizostoma pulmo (barrel jelly, dustbin-lid jelly, frilly-mouthed jelly)
Order Semaeostomeae (flag-mouth sea jellies)
Family Cyaneidae
![](../I/m/Largelionsmanejellyfish.jpg)
- Cyanea capillata (lion's mane jelly)
- Cyanea lamarckii (blue jelly, bluefire)
Family Pelagiidae
- Chrysaora hysoscella (compass jelly)
- Pelagia noctiluca (mauve stinger)
Family Ulmaridae
- Aurelia aurita (moon jelly, common jelly, saucer jelly)
Order Scleractinia (stony corals, hard corals)
Family Caryophylliidae
- Caryophyllia inornata
- Caryophyllia smithii (Devonshire cup coral)
- Lophelia pertusa[8]
Class Staurozoa
Order Stauromedusae (stalked jellies)
Family Craterolophidae
- Craterolophus convolvulus
Family Kishinouyeidae
- Lucernariopsis campanulata
Family Lucernariidae
- Haliclystus auricula (kaleidoscope jelly)
References
- https://www.npws.ie/sites/default/files/publications/pdf/IWM38.pdf
- "Species Browser".
- http://www.iws.ie/_fileupload/advice/id_card_for_website.pdf
- "Sea Anemones and Corals - OceanAddicts".
- https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/16744
- https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/16744
- https://maps.biodiversityireland.ie/Species/15960
- "Coral reefs in Irish Waters".