All three tentaculate ctenophores above have been called "Pleurobrachia bachei " at one time or another.
They are (left to right): Pleurobrachia bachei, Euplokamis dunlapae, and Hormiphora sp., all from Friday Harbor, Washington, USA. Photographic image copyright 1998 Claudia E. Mills.

The suggested citation for this work is listed below:

Mills, C.E. Internet 1998-present. Phylum Ctenophora: list of all valid species names. Electronic internet document available at http://faculty.washington.edu/cemills/Ctenolist.html. Published by the author, web page established March 1998, last updated (see date at end of page).

Because the scientific literature on the Ctenophora is widely dispersed and much of it is difficult to locate, I have compiled a list of all classes, orders, families, genera and species of ctenophores that seem to be in use at the present time. This list is the result of a rather extensive search of the literature, combined with a little independent thinking. The phylogenetic order used in this list is derived primarily from the morphological work of Richard Harbison (1984, 1996) and Harbison and Madin (1982). It will undoubtedly be heavily modified as genetic studies of relationships between these animals are published. There is little question that some of the species listed are the same as others, but in most cases, no author has dealt with the problem species in the peer-reviewed, published literature, so the redundant names are still "current" and valid.

I suspect that there are actually 100-150 good species of described ctenophores, of which 30-35 (the platyctenids) are benthic in habitat. (There are probably at least 25 more known, but undescribed, ctenophores, many of them in the deep-sea -- stay tuned for descriptions of most of these eventually.) In many cases, I have listed synonyms to good species names in parentheses on the line following - the list of synonyms is not complete - it's only a start. There must be many other synonyms in this list of names (the genus Beroe, for instance, has many names that might ultimately be synonomized in future studies, but that may be a very distant future). A number of other lists of ctenophores, many of which seem to derive from this one, can be found elsewhere on the web; I do not claim to be the only authority about which names are presently in use for the Ctenophora. One of the purposes of this page is to have accurate access to the spelling, as well as describing author and date, for each species name.

Note that genus and species names are always written in italics. If the author and date following a species name are within parentheses, that is the taxonomists' code for indicating that the species has been moved from the genus in which it was originally described; author and date not in parentheses indicates that the genus has not changed from the original description. (I am not making this format up - it is strictly formalized and governed by an international body of taxonomists.)

This list has taken me several years to put together and I would really appreciate it if you cite it as an electronic publication if you use it in your studies (suggested citation above). The list is an ongoing work and is subject to modification at any time. I consider it my intellectual property and do not want to find it dumped wholesale onto someone else's web page - links to it are fine. I welcome any additions or corrections that anyone may wish to make - please contact me at the above address. In order to be true to its in-progress nature, I have left my personal shorthand in the electronic manuscript, so any entry preceeded by . means that I have not yet been able to check the original citation for accuracy. Although I have chosen to put this list of species names and authors on the web, it will be noted that I have not included the bibliography from which it derives on the web at this time.

I have included links to ctenophore images located elsewhere on the web. In the event that there is more than one good image of the same species, I have linked the best one or two, whose identification I am sure about, for you. In a few cases, I have linked images to species that I do not know well, so the identifications could be wrong, but I wouldn't know - such links are clearly labeled. Any additions to these photograph links are welcome - please let me know. Be aware that many ctenophore photographs on the web are misidentified.

Phylum CTENOPHORA Eschscholtz, 1829

Class Tentaculata Eschscholtz, 1825

Class/Subclass Typhlocoela Ospovat, 1985

Order Cydippida Gegenbaur, 1856 (or Lesson, 1843?)

Family Haeckeliidae Krumbach, 1925

Aulacoctena Mortensen, 1932

acuminata Mortensen, 1932

Haeckelia Carus, 1863

beehleri (Mayer, 1912)

bimaculata C. Carré and D. Carré, 1989 - image contains B. beehleri, B. rubra, and B. bimaculata

filigera (Chun, 1880)

(= Euchlora filigera Chun, 1880)

rubra (Kölliker, 1853)

(= Euchlora rubra (Kölliker, 1853))

Family Ctenellidae C. Carré and D. Carré, 1993

Ctenella C. Carré and D. Carré, 1993

aurantia C. Carré and D. Carré, 1993

Family Bathyctenidae Mortensen, 1932

Bathyctena Mortensen, 1932

chuni (Moser, 1909)

Family Lampeidae Krumbach, 1925

Lampea Stechow, 1921

. elongata (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824)

fusiformis (A. Agassiz and Mayer, 1902)

lactea (Mayer, 1912)

pancerina (Chun, 1879) - another image showing this species eating a salp chain

(= Lampetia pancerina Chun, 1880)

(= Gastrodes parasiticum Korotneff, 1888)

Family Pleurobrachiidae Chun, 1880

Ceroctena C. Carré and D. Carré, 1991

bicornis C. Carré and D. Carré, 1991

Hormiphora L. Agassiz, 1860 (see also the illustration at the top of this web page)

californensis (Torrey, 1904)

cilensis (Ghigi, 1909) (may = californensis above (Mills 1987))

cucumis (Mertens, 1833)

(= Janira cucumis (by Agassiz 1860 and Agassiz 1865))

(= Euplokamis cucumis (by Torrey, 1904))

elliptica (Eschscholtz, 1829)

. hormiphora (Gegenbaur, 1856)

"coeca" (= Hormiphora coeca Stanford, 1931, a nomen nudem)

labialis Ghigi, 1909

luminosa Dawydoff, 1946

ochracea (A. Agassiz and Mayer, 1902)

octoptera (Mertens, 1833)

palmata Chun, 1898

(= Hormiphora amboinae Moser, 1907 by Bigelow, 1912)

(= Hormiphora fusiformis Agassiz and Mayer, 1902 by Bigelow 1912)

(= Hormiphora japonica Moser, 1907 by Bigelow, 1912)

piriformis Ghigi, 1909

plumosa L. Agassiz, 1860 (image is glass model) or is it this? - I'll have to check (they are not the same)

(= Cydippe hormiphora Gegenbaur, 1856)

(= Cydippe plumosa M. Sars, 1859)

(= Cydippe densa Spagnolini, 1870)

polytrocha Dawydoff, 1946

punctata Moser, 1909

. sibogae Moser, 1903

spatulata Chun, 1898 (= P. brunnea by Bigelow, 1912)

Minictena C. Carré and D. Carré, 1993

luteola C. Carré and D. Carré, 1993

Moseria Ghigi, 1909 (likely absorbed by Pleurobrachia and Hormiphora)

This genus as established included M. australis (Benham), M. pigmentata (Moser) and M. striata (Moser). These assignments do not seem to be in current use, but Ghigi's' 1909 paper is not widely known. Moseria is also in use as a siphonophore genus name.

Pleurobrachia Fleming, 1822

. arctica Wagner, 1885 (in Moser)

australis (Benham, 1907)

bachei A. Agassiz, 1860 (see another illustration at the top of this web page)

brunnea Mayer, 1912

. cyanea (Chun, 1889) = Tinerfe? - see below

. globosa Moser, 1903

var. ceylonensis Browne, 1905

var. bengalensis Annandale and Kemp, 1915

latipharyngea Dawydoff, 1946

pigmentata Moser, 1903

pileus (O. F. Müller, 1776)

rhododactyla L. Agassiz, 1860

rhodopis Chun, 1879

striata Moser, 1907

Sabaudia Ghigi, 1909

liguriae Ghigi, 1909

Tinerfe Chun, 1898

cyanea (Chun, 1889)

Family Euplokamididae Mills, 1987 ( = Euplokamidae, changed in agreement with Cairns et al., 2002)

Euplokamis Chun, 1879

crinita (Moser, 1909)

dunlapae Mills, 1987 (see another more detailed illustration at the top of this web page)

helicoides (Ralph and Kaberry, 1950)

octoptera (Mertens, 1833) - likely to be Mertensia ovum

stationis Chun, 1879

Family Cryptocodidae Leloup, 1938

Cryptocoda Leloup, 1938

gerlachi Leloup, 1938

Family Mertensiidae L. Agassiz, 1860

Callianira Péron and Lesueur, 1808

antarctica Chun, 1897 - I do not know this species and cannot verify that the photo ID is as stated on that website (C.E.M).

bialata Della Chiaje, 1841

(= Eschscholtzia cordata Kölliker, 1853)

cristata Moser, 1909

compressa (Mertens, 1833) - may be Mertensia ovum

. diploptera Lamarck, 1843 (in Moser)

ficalbi Curreri, 1900

. hexagona Slabber

. triploptera Lamarck, 1843 (in Moser)

Charistephane Chun, 1879

fugiens Chun, 1879

. Mertensia Lesson, 1830

ovum (Fabricius, 1780) another image of this species

"Undescribed genus" Harbison and Mills, in prep. (with masses of fine pink-red tentilla)

"Species 1" Harbison and Mills, in prep.

"Species 2" Harbison and Mills, in prep.

"Species 3" Harbison and Mills, in prep.

Family Dryodoridae Harbison, 1996 (earlier?)

. Dryodora L. Agassiz, 1860

glandiformis (Mertens, 1833) note similarity of sheaths and canals to Cambodgia

Family not determined

Big red undescribed cydippid "Agmayeria tortugensis"- but never formally described (also known as "Tortugas Red")

Cydippida, but family affiliation not determined (mostly juveniles):

Cydippe Eschscholtz, 1829

. densa Forskal, 1775 (in Moser)

ovata Lesson, 1843

. quadricostata Sars, 1835 (in Moser)

Eschscholthia Lesson 1836

dimidiata (Eschscholtz, 1829)

Eschscholtzia Kölliker, 1853

. borealis Wagner, 1885 (in Moser)

Paracelsia Dawydoff, 1946

quadriloba Dawydoff, 1946

Thoe Chun, 1879 1878?

paradoxa Chun, 1879 or 1878?

. Tinerfe coerulea Chun

Tizardia Dawydoff, 1946

phosphorea Dawydoff, 1946

FOSSIL CTENOPHORA - Order Cydippida

Archeocydippida Stanley and Stürmer, 1987

hunsrueckiana Stanley and Stürmer, 1987. Devonian: Hunsrück Slate, Germany

Paleoctenophora Stanley and Stürmer, 1983

brasseli Stanley and Stürmer, 1983. Devonian: Hunsrück Slate, Germany

. Podolites Ljaschendo 1969? (Berger 1981 Zoo. Record). Silurian

FOSSIL CTENOPHORA - Order Unknown

Family Ctenorhabdotidae Conway Morris and Collins, 1996

Ctenorhabdotus Conway Morris and Collins, 1996

capulus Conway Morris and Collins, 1996. Middle Cambrian: British Columbia, Canada

Family Fasciculidae Conway Morris and Collins, 1996

Fasciculus Simonetta and Della Cave, 1978

vesanus Simonetta and Della Cave, 1978. Middle Cambrian: British Columbia, Canada

Family Xanioascidae Conway Morris and Collins, 1996

Xanioascus Conway Morris and Collins, 1996

canadensis Conway Morris and Collins, 1996. Middle Cambrian: British Columbia, Canada

For a good review of fossil ctenophores with all citations, see: Conway Morris, S. and D.H. Collins, 1996. Middle Cambrian ctenophores from the Stephen Formation, British Columbia, Canada. Phil Trans. R. Soc. Lond. B, 351: 279-308.

. Order Platyctenida Bourne 1900 = Coeloplanidea Stechow, 1922

Family Ctenoplanidae Willey, 1896

Ctenoplana Korotneff, 1886

bengalensis Gnanamuthu and Nair, 1948

duboscqui Dawydoff, 1929

korotneffi Willey, 1896

kowalevskii Korotneff, 1886

maculomarginata Yosii (Yoshi), 1933 (also as maculomarainata in
original description)

muculosa Yosii (Yoshi), 1933 (also maculosa, in original description's figure)

perrieri (Dawydoff, 1930)

rosacea Willey, 1896

sub-genus Diploctena Fricke and Plante, 1971

neritica Fricke and Plante, 1971

sub-genus Planoctena Dawydoff, 1936

agnae (Dawydoff, 1929)

caulleryi Dawydoff, 1936

yurii (Dawydoff, 1929)

Family Tjalfiellidae Komai, 1922

Tjalfiella Mortensen, 1910

tristoma Mortensen, 1910

Family Lyroctenidae Komai, 1942

Lyrocteis Komai, 1941

flavopallidus Robilliard and Dayton, 1972

imperatoris Komai, 1941

Family Savangiidae Harbison and Madin, 1982 (?)

Savangia Dawydoff, 1950

atentaculata Dawydoff, 1950

Family Coeloplanidae Willey, 1896

. Coeloplana Kowalevsky, 1880 - I do not know this species and cannot verify that the photo ID is as stated on that website, but it certainly is beautiful (C.E.M).

agniae Dawydoff, 1930 - apparently not the same as Ctenoplana agnae.
(Tentacles of both spp. compared in same figure, Dawydoff (1933) p. 122)

var. striata Dawydoff, 1938

astericola Mortensen, 1927 - I do not know this species and cannot verify that the photo ID is as stated on that website (C.E.M).

bannwarthii Krumbach, 1933 - Scroll down. I do not know this species and cannot verify that the photo ID is as stated on that website (C.E.M).

bocki Komai, 1920

duboscqui Dawydoff, 1930

echinicola Tanaka, 1932

gonoctena Krempf, 1920

var. natalensis Pople, 1960

var. rosea Dawydoff, 1938

indica Devanesen and Varadarajan, 1942

komaii Utinomi, 1963

krusadiensis Devanesen and Varadarajan, 1942

lineolata Fricke, 1970

meteoris Thiel, 1968 - I do not know this species and cannot verify that the photo ID is as stated on that website (C.E.M).

mesnili Dawydoff, 1938

metschnikowii Kowalevsky, 1880

mitsukurii Abbott, 1902

perrieri Dawydoff, 1930

punctata Fricke, 1970

scaberiae Matsumoto and Gowlett-Holmes, 1996

sophiae Dawydoff, 1938

tattersalli Devanesen and Varadarajan, 1942

thomsoni Matsumoto, 1999

weilli Dawydoff, 1938

willeyi Abbott, 1902

wuennenbergi Fricke, 1970

sub-genus Benthoplana Fricke and Plante, 1971

meteoris Thiel, 1968

Vallicula Rankin, 1956

multiformis Rankin, 1956

Class/Subclass Cyclocoela Ospovat, 1985 (includes through Beroida)

Order Cambojiida Ospovat, 1985

Family Cambojiidae Ospovat, 1985

Cambodgia Dawydoff, 1946 (also spelled in same paper Cambodjia Dawydoff, 1946)

elegantissima Dawydoff, 1946 Note similarity of sheaths and canals to Dryodora

. Order Ganeshida Moser, 1908

Family Ganeshidae Moser, 1907

Ganesha Moser, 1907

elegans (Moser, 1903)

(= Lampetia elegans Moser in Moser 1908)

annamita Dawydoff, 1946

Order Cryptolobiferida Ospovat, 1985

Family Cryptolobatidae Ospovat, 1985

Cryptolobata Moser, 1909 (Ospovat, 1985, says this may be larva of Lobocrypta)

primitiva Moser, 1909

Lobocrypta Dawydoff, 1946

annamita Dawydoff, 1946

Lobata with uncertain affinity:

Axiotima Eschscholtz, 1829

gaedii Eschscholtz, 1829

"Die 6 eckige Beroe" von Slabber (in Moser)

Calymma Eschscholtz, 1829

trevirani Eschscholtz, 1829

Order Thalassocalycida Madin and Harbison, 1978

Family Thalassocalycidae Madin and Harbison, 1978

Thalassocalyce Madin and Harbison, 1978

inconstans Madin and Harbison, 1978

Order Lobata Eschscholtz, 1825

Family Bathocyroidae Harbison and Madin, 1982

Bathocyroe Madin and Harbison, 1978

fosteri Madin and Harbison, 1978

paragaster (Ralph and Kaberry, 1950)

Family Bolinopsidae Bigelow, 1912

Bolinopsis L. Agassiz, 1860 (=Bolina Mertens, 1833)

. chuni (von Lendenfeld, 1884)

elegans (Mertens, 1833)

indosinensis Dawydoff, 1946

infundibulum (O.F. Müller, 1776)

(= B. septentrionalis Mertens, 1833 by Mayer 1912)

microptera (A. Agassiz, 1865)

mikado (Moser, 1907)

ovalis (Bigelow, 1904)

rubripunctata Tokioka 1964

vitrea (L. Agassiz, 1860)

(= Bolina hydatina Chun, 1879)

Lesueuria Milne Edwards, 1841

hyboptera A. Agassiz, 1865

pinnata Ralph and Kaberry, 1950

tiedemanni (Eschscholtz, 1829) moved by Moser, 1908

vitrea Milne Edwards, 1841

MnemiopsisL. Agassiz, 1860

gardeni L. Agassiz, 1860 (said to be junior synonym of M. leidyi by Seravin (1994),
which it cannot be, because it has seniority by date)

leidyi A. Agassiz, 1865

mccradyi Mayer, 1900 = junior synonym of M. leidyi by Seravin, 1994
(but I do not accept this synonomy)

Family Leucotheidae Krumbach, 1925 ( = Leucothoeae Lesson 1843; = Eucharidae Chun, 1880)

Leucothea Mertens, 1833 (=Alcinoe Della Chiaje, 1841, =Chiaia Lesson, 1843)

grandiformis Agassiz and Mayer, 1899

. harmata

japonica Komai, 1918

multicornis (Quoy and Gaimard, 1824)

(= Eucharis multicornis Eschscholtz, 1829)

(= Chiaia neapolitana Lesson, 1843)

(= Chiaja palermitana Milne Edwards, 1857)

(= Cydippe brevicostata Will, 1844 - larva, by Chun, 1879)

(= Eschscholtzia pectinata Kölliker, 1853 - larva, by Chun, 1879)

ochracea Mayer, 1912

pulchra Matsumoto, 1988

. Family Ocyropsidae (= Ocyroidae Lesson, 1843)

Alcinoe Rang, 1828 (in Moser 1908)

. rosea Mertens, 1833

vermicularis Rang 1828 (in Moser 1908))

Ocyropsis Mayer, 1912 (= Ocyroe Rang, 1828)

crystallina (Rang, 1828)

subsp. crystallina (Rang, 1828)

subsp. guttata Harbison and Miller, 1986

fusca (Rang, 1828)

maculata (Rang, 1828)

subsp. immaculata Harbison and Miller, 1986

subsp. maculata (Rang, 1828)

. pteroessa Bigelow 1904 (in Moser)

Family Eurhamphaeidae L. Agassiz, 1860

Eurhamphaea Gegenbaur, 1856 = probably only one species, E. vexilligera

chamissonis (Eschscholz, 1829)

heteroptera (Chamisso and Eysenhardt, 1821)

kuhlii (Eschscholtz, 1829)

schweiggeri (Eschscholtz, 1829)

vexilligera Gegenbaur, 1856

(= Mnemia elegans M. Sars, 1856)

[Family Deiopeidae Chun, 1880 (Harbison (1996) and Harbison, Matsumoto and Robison (2001) combined this family into the Eurhamphaeidae)]

Deiopea Chun, 1879

kaloktenota Chun, 1879

Kiyohimea Komai and Tokioka, 1940

aurita Komai and Tokioka, 1940

usagi Matsumoto and Robison, 1992

Family Lampoctenidae Harbison, Matsumoto and Robison, 2001

Lampocteis Harbison, Matsumoto and Robison, 2001

cruentiventer Harbison, Matsumoto and Robison, 2001

Family Lobatolampeidae Hirota, 2000

Lobatolampea Horita, 2000

tetragona Horita, 2000

Order Cestida Gegenbaur, 1856

Family Cestidae Gegenbaur, 1856

Cestum Lesueur, 1813

veneris Lesueur, 1813 another image of this species

(= Cestus veneris Chun, 1879 and 1880)

Velamen Krumbach, 1925

parallelum (Fol, 1869) another image of this species

(= Vexillum parallelum Fol, 1869)

(= Folia parallela Mayer, 1912)

Class Nuda Chun 1879 (at least, perhaps earlier?)

Order Beroida Eschscholtz, 1829 or 1825?

Family Beroidae Eschscholtz, 1825

Beroe Browne, 1756

abyssicola Mortensen, 1927

australis Agassiz and Mayer 1899

baffini Kramp, 1942

. basteri Lesson, 1830

campana Komai, 1918

compacta Moser, 1909

constricta Chamisso and Eysenhardt, 1821

cucumis Fabricius, 1780

(= Beroe roseola Agassiz, 1860 by Mayer, 1912)

. culcullus Martens, also Eschscholtz, 1829

flemingii (Eschscholtz, 1829)

forskalii Milne Edwards, 1841 another image of this species

gilva Eschscholtz, 1829

hyalina Moser, 1907

gracilis Künne, 1939 another image of this species

. macrostoma Péron and Lesueur, 1808 or 1809 (in Moser)

. mitraeformis Lesson, 1830 (in Moser)

mitrata (Moser, 1907)

. ovale Bosc 1802 (in Moser)

. ovata Bruguière, 1789 or Eschscholtz, 1829 - for a full description of the taxonomic problem presented by Beroe ovata, see the paragraph written by Richard Harbison in Mills et al. 1996, Scientia Marina, vol. 60(1), p. 161.

(= Idyiopsis affinis L. Agassiz, 1860 by Mayer, 1912)

(= Beroe clarkii (Agassiz, 1860) by Mayer, 1912)

(= Idya mertensii Mertens, 1833 by Mayer, 1912)

(= Beroe capensis Chamisso and Eysenhardt, 1821 by Chun, 1880)

(= Beroe punctata Chamisso & Eysenhardt, 1821 by Mayer, 1912)

(= Beroe shakespeari Benham, 1907 by Bigelow, 1912)

. pandorina (Moser, 1903)

penicillata (Mertens, 1833)

ramosa Komai, 1921

roseus Quoy and Gaimard, 1824 (in Moser 1908)

rufescens (Eschscholtz, 1829)

. Neis Lesson, 1843 or 1829? (this picture of Neis does not show bioluminescence, despite its caption) another image

cordigera Lesson, 1829