Ceriantipatharia

Ceriantipatharia
Cerianthus sp., an example of Ceriantharia.
Black coral colony, an example of Antipatharia
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Cnidaria
Subphylum: Anthozoa
Class: Hexacorallia
Order: Ceriantipatharia
Van Beneden, É., 1898

Ceriantipatharia (rare synonym: Hexacorallia Goette, 1902 [non Haeckel, 1866]) is a taxon (usually a subclass) of Anthozoans used in some systems. It consists of the two taxa (usually orders) Ceriantharia (tube anemones) and Antipatharia (black corals).

The taxon Ceriantipatharia, comprising Ceriantharia and Antipatharia, has been used in many systems of cnidarianns from 1898 onwards. Rejected by some authors from the very beginning (i. e. since around 1900), it is only since around the year 2000 that the taxon Ceriantipatharia has been deprecated by most texts and the orders Ceriantharia and Antipatharia have been classified as mutually unrelated orders of Hexacorallia, rather than as orders of Ceriantipatharia (see the chapter Classification history for details). Some texts, however, still use Ceriantipatharia even today.

According to a 2001 proposal, the subclass Ceriantipatharia should remain a valid taxon, but it should contain only the order Ceriantharia.

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