Porpitidae

species of cnidarian

The chondrophores or porpitids are a small group of hydrozoans in the family Porpitidae. Though it derives from an outdated name for this lineage, some find the term chondrophore still useful as a synonym for members of the family Porpitidae – porpitids – when discussing the two genera contained in Porpita and Velella, to avoid confusion with the near-identical name of the former.

Velella is a monospecific genus of hydrozoa in the family Porpitidae. Its only known species is Velella velella, a cosmopolitan (widely distributed) free-floating hydrozoan that lives on the surface of the open ocean. It is commonly known by the names sea raft, by-the-wind sailor, purple sail, little sail, or simply Velella.

Porpita is genus of hydrozoans in the family Porpitidae. It has two species recognized and is the type genus of its family.

species of cnidarian