Phylum - Cnidaria

Common name: Corals, Jellies, Sea Anemones, Hydroids

Name derivation: "nettle"

Subphylum: Anthozoa

  • Class: Hexacorallia
  • Class: Octocorallia

Subphylum: Endocnidozoa

  • Class: Myxozoa
  • Class: Polypodiozoa

Subphylum: Medusozoa

  • Class: Cubozoa
  • Class: Hydrozoa
  • Class: Scyphozoa
  • Class: Staurozoa

Number of Orders: 27

Number of Families: 508

Number of Genus: 2,738

Number of known Species: 18,745

Earliest Fossil Record:  Middle Ediacaran 580 mya

Habitat: Marine, Freshwater

Size Range: 0.5 mm to 50 m

Notes: Taxonomy based on World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS)