Siphonophores - Naturalist engraving - Ernst Haeckel, Kunstformen der Natur

Reproduction engraving of: Siphonophores

Original title Siphonophorae - Staatsquallen

Poster of Porpema - Cnidarians of the class Siphonophores (Order Disconetes)

Illustration from the book Kunstformen der Natur, which is a collection of artistic lithographs of natural sciences published by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel between 1899 and 1904.

This naturalistic illustration is part of an overall style inspired by Ernst Haeckel, which greatly influenced the emerging Art Nouveau movement at the beginning of the ^20th century. This work, illustrating the impressive beauty and great diversity of the biological world, was complemented by a certain amount of scientific information, some excerpts of which are reproduced below.

This information is over 120 years old and some of it may be outdated!

Scientific classification:

 Cnidarian Phylum (Cnidaria)
Class Siphonophores (Siphonophorae)
Order of Shield Jellyfish (Disconectae)

Scientific notice (extract) accompanying the poster print of Siphonophorae - Siphonophores :

The Staatsquallen or Disconectae form a special group among the siphonophores; they are distinguished from other cnidarians of this remarkable class, the siphonophores, notably by the fact that the medusary body forms a flat disc on which the numerous specialized individuals of the colony are arranged. Unlike other siphonophores, such as the siphonophores (as illustrated in Plate 7 with the cystonectes), where the central column of the body, from which the individuals diversified by division of labor emerge, is formed by the vertical digestive tube of the original mother medusa, here, in the Disconectae (or Disconanthae), it is formed by their horizontal umbrella (Umbrella). In the center of the underside of the latter (Figs. 6, 8, 9), the octalobed mouth, located at the lower end of the suspended mesoglea (Figs. 1, 4, 7), can be seen. The latter is surrounded by a circle of gonophores (gonophores). Outside, on the edge of the umbrella, is a crown of tentacles equipped with small stinging nodes (Figs. 1, 5, 8). In the center of the midsection of the body, a rounded, yellowish swimming vesicle is trapped (Figs. 3 and 5). Disconectae all swim on the surface of the open ocean, often in large swarms; the largest species can reach the size of a thaler. Most are distinguished by a magnificent blue color; the stomach and gonophores are often colored red or yellow. All figures in this plate are slightly enlarged.

Species present on the Siphonophores - Porpema naturalist board :

• Porpema medusa
• Porpalia prunella
• Discalia medusina
• Disconalia gastroblasta