Anthozoa Temporal range: late Ediacaran to present | |
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Stony corals | |
Scientific classification | |
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Class: | Anthozoa |
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Anthozoa are a class in the phylum Cnidaria. It includes the sea anemones and the corals. It is a monophyletic clade, one of two in the Cnidaria. The other is the Medusozoa.
The class does not have a medusa larval stage in its development, unlike the rest of the phylum. Like all Cnidaria, their food-catching and defense are done by nematocysts, which are extremely effective stinging cells. Over 6,100 species have been described.
There are three subclasses: