scyphomedusæ

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A prime division of hydrozoans, or a subclass of Hydrozoa. It contains those medusiforms which have four or eight intermedial groups of gastric filaments, or phacellæ, and interradial endodermal genitalia, and whose young or hydriforms are short polyps with a broad hypostome or scyphistome giving rise to the medusiforms by strobilation or transfission. or, as in Lucernarida, developing genitalia directly. They are also called Phanerocarpæ (Eschscholtz, 1829), Discophora (Kölliker, 1853), Lucernaridæ (Huxley, 1856), Medusæ (Carus, 1867). Steganophthalmia (Forbes), Acalephæ (Claus, 1878), and Ephyromedusæ. By Haeckel the term was restricted to the Lucernarida.

GNU Webster's 1913

1. n. (Zoöl.) Same as acraspeda, or discophora.