Chondrophores | |
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Blue button (Porpita porpita) | |
Scientific classification ![]() | |
Domain: | Eukaryota |
Kingdom: | Animalia |
Phylum: | Cnidaria |
Class: | Hydrozoa |
Order: | Anthoathecata |
Suborder: | Capitata |
Family: | Porpitidae Goldfuss, 1818 |
Type genus | |
Porpita | |
Genera | |
Synonyms | |
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The chondrophores or porpitids are a small group of hydrozoans in the family Porpitidae. Though it derives from an outdated name for this lineage, some still find the term 'chondrophore' useful as a synonym to 'porpitid' in discussions of the two genera contained therein, Porpita and Velella.
They all live at the surface of the open ocean, and are colonies of carnivorous, free-floating hydroids whose role in the plankton community is similar to that of pelagic jellyfish. The chondrophores look like a single organism but are actually colonial animals, made up of orderly cooperatives of polyps living under specialized sail-structures.
The most familiar members of the family Porpitidae are the blue button (Porpita porpita) and the by-the-wind sailor (Velella velella).
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