Actinozoa ⇒

: They use tentacles armed with specialized stinging cells called nematocysts to capture prey, ranging from plankton to small fish.

: Includes soft corals, sea pens, and sea fans. They strictly possess eight branched (pinnate) tentacles and eight mesenteries. Ecological Importance actinozoa

: While sea anemones are typically solitary, many Actinozoans (like reef-building corals) form massive colonies of interconnected clones. Classification : They use tentacles armed with specialized stinging

Historically, Actinozoa was divided into two main groups based on their symmetry and tentacle count: and sea fans. Key Characteristics

(now more commonly known as the class Anthozoa ) is a major group of marine invertebrates within the phylum Cnidaria . This class includes well-known sea creatures like sea anemones, stony corals, soft corals, and sea fans. Key Characteristics