Higher Classification: > Kingdom Animalia > Subkingdom Eumetazoa > Phylum Cnidaria > Subphylum Medusozoa > Class Hydrozoa > Subclass Hydroidolina > Order Siphonophorae > Suborder Cystonectae > Family Physaliidae > Genus Physalia

Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758)

Rank: Species
Taxon Status: accepted

Original genus

Holothuria Linnaeus, 1758

Relationships towards this taxon

Genus group names

PhysaliaLamarck, 1801accepted genus name
Holothuria Linnaeus, 1758 synonym

Vernaculars (+) (-)

 Catalan: caravel·la portuguesa; fragata portuguesa
 Dutch: Portugees oorlogsschip sources: Hayward, P.; Nelson-Smith, A.; Shields, C. (1999). Gids van kust en strand: flora en fauna [Coast and beach guide: flora and fauna]. Tirion: Baarn, Netherlands. ISBN 90-5210-327-5. 352, ill. pp.
 English: bluebottle; Portuguese man o’ war; Portuguese man-of-war; Portuguese man-o-war sources: Cairns, S.D., D.R. Calder, A. Brinckmann-Voss, C.B. Castro, P.R. Pugh, C.E. Cutress, W.C. Jaap, D.G. Fautin, R.J. Larson, G.R. Harbison, M.N. Arai & D.M. Opresko. (2002). Common and scientific names of aquatic invertebrates from the United States and Canada: Cnidaria and Ctenophora. 2nd ed. American Fisheries Society Special Publication, Bethesda, Maryland. 28:1-115.;Richmond, M. (Ed.) (1997). A guide to the seashores of Eastern Africa and the Western Indian Ocean islands. Sida/Department for Research Cooperation, SAREC: Stockholm, Sweden. ISBN 91-630-4594-X. 448 pp.;Cole, T. C. H. (2017). Wörterbuch der Wirbellosen / Dictionary of Invertebrates. Latein-Deutsch-English. 2017. Springer Spektrum: Berlin. ISBN 978-3-662-52869-3. XII, 574 pp.
 French: galère portugaise; vessie de mer
 German: Blasenqualle; Portugiesische Galeere; Seeblase sources: Cole, T. C. H. (2017). Wörterbuch der Wirbellosen / Dictionary of Invertebrates. Latein-Deutsch-English. 2017. Springer Spektrum: Berlin. ISBN 978-3-662-52869-3. XII, 574 pp.
 Italian: caravella portoghese
 Japanese: カツオノエボシ sources: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology. (2009 onwards). Biological Information System for Marine Life (BISMaL). Accessed on 2018-11-21.
 Portuguese: Caravela Portuguesa
 Spanish, Castillian: botella azul; carabela portuguesa

Literature

additional source

Calder, D. (2003). Checklist of Hydroids, hydromedusae and siphonophores reported from the Bay of Fundy.

additional source

Pugh, P. R. & Gasca, R. (2009). Siphonophorae (Cnidaria) of the Gulf of Mexico. Pp. 395–402. In: Felder, D.L. and D.K. Camp (eds.), Gulf of Mexico–Origins, Waters, and Biota. Biodiversity. Texas A&M Press, College Station, Texas.

additional source

Pollock, L.W. (1998). A practical guide to the marine animals of northeastern North America. Rutgers University Press. New Brunswick, New Jersey & London. 367 pp.

additional source

Liu, J.Y. [Ruiyu] (ed.). (2008). Checklist of marine biota of China seas. China Science Press. 1267 pp.

additional source

Cairns, S.D., L. Gershwin, F.J. Brook, P. Pugh, E.W. Dawson, O.V. Ocaña, W. Vervoort, G. Williams, J.E. Watson, D.M. Opresko, P. Schuchert, P.M. Hine, D.P. Gordon, H.I. Campbell, A.J. Wright, J.A.Sánchez & D.G. Fautin. (2009). Phylum Cnidaria: corals, medusae, hydroids, myxozoans. in: Gordon, D.P. (Ed.) (2009). New Zealand inventory of biodiversity: 1. Kingdom Animalia: Radiata, Lophotrochozoa, Deuterostomia. :59-101.

additional source

Linkletter, L. E. (1977). A checklist of marine fauna and flora of the Bay of Fundy. Huntsman Marine Laboratory, St. Andrews, N.B. 68: p.

source of synonymy

Pugh, P. R. (2019). Two new species of Bargmannia (Pyrostephidae, Physonectae, Siphonophorae). Zootaxa. 4686(1): 74-82.

source of synonymy

Pugh, P. R. (2019). A history of the sub-order Cystonectae (Hydrozoa: Siphonophorae). Zootaxa. 4669(1): 1-91.

redescription

Totton, A. K. (1960). Studies on Physalia physalis (L.). Part 1. Natural History and morphology. Discovery Reports. 30: 301-368.

ecology source

Kirkpatrick, P.A.; Pugh, P.R. (1984). Siphonophores and velellids: keys and notes for the identification of the species. Synopses of the British fauna (new series), 29. E.J. Brill/W. Backhuys: London, UK. ISBN 90-04-07470-8. vi, 154 pp.

ecology source

Totton, A. K. (1960). Studies on Physalia physalis (L.). Part 1. Natural History and morphology. Discovery Reports. 30: 301-368.

biology source

Munro, C.; Vue, Z.; Behringer, R. R.; Dunn, C. W. (2019). Morphology and development of the Portuguese man of war, Physalia physalis. Scientific Reports. 9(1).

Genbank

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External Links

Marine Life Information Network - UK

Citation

Schuchert, P.; Choong, H.; Galea, H.; Hoeksema, B.; Lindsay, D.; Manko, M.; Pica, D. (2025). World Hydrozoa Database. Physalia physalis (Linnaeus, 1758). Via: Costello, M.J.; Bouchet, P.; Boxshall, G.; Arvantidis, C.; Appeltans, W. (2011) European Register of Marine Species, Accessed through PESI at http://www.eu-nomen.eu/portal/taxon.php?GUID=urn:lsid:marinespecies.org:taxname:135479

Image

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Occurrence

 Present  Absent  Doubtful  Native  Introduced  Naturalised  Invasive  Managed  No data

Environment


marine, not brackish, not fresh, not terrestrial

Importance

CITES:
appendix 1 This species is listed on the CITES Appendix I which means it is threatened with extinction and CITES prohibits international trade in specimens of these species except when the purpose of the import is not commercial, for instance for scientific research.

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Last modified

2021-05-28 by Peter Schuchert

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