Physalia minuta
| Physalia minuta | |
|---|---|
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Cnidaria |
| Class: | Hydrozoa |
| Order: | Siphonophorae |
| Family: | Physaliidae |
| Genus: | Physalia |
| Species: | P. minuta |
| Binomial name | |
| Physalia minuta Church & Dunn in Church et al., 2025 | |
Physalia minuta, also called little bluebottle, is a species of physalid siphonophore native to the oceanic waters around the Southern Hemisphere. Its longer pneumatophore distinguishes it from other species of its genus.
Though many systematists have treated its genus, Physalia, as containing a single species, Physalia physalis, the Portuguese man o' war, recent studies, morphological and genetic, have proven there to be upwards of four to five species in the genus, among them being Physalia minuta.[1] Like all other man o' wars, Physalia minuta is a colonial organism, composed of many organized subunits called zooids; they are genetically indistinct and originate from the same egg.
References
- ↑ Church, Samuel H.; Abedon, River B.; Ahuja, Namrata; Anthony, Colin J.; Destanović, Dalila; Ramirez, Diego A.; Rojas, Lourdes M.; Albinsson, Maria E.; Álvarez Trasobares, Itziar; Bergemann, Reza E.; Bogdanovic, Ozren; Burdick, David R.; Cunha, Tauana J.; Damian-Serrano, Alejandro; D’Elía, Guillermo (August 2025). "Population genomics of a sailing siphonophore reveals genetic structure in the open ocean". Current Biology. 35 (15): 3556–3569.e6. doi:10.1016/j.cub.2025.05.066. PMC 12224019. PMID 40541187.