Zancleopsidae Bouillon, 1978

Maggioni, Davide, Schuchert, Peter, Arrigoni, Roberto, Hoeksema, Bert W., Huang, Danwei, Strona, Giovanni, Seveso, Davide, Berumen, Michael L., Montalbetti, Enrico, Collins, Richard, Galli, Paolo & Montano, Simone, 2021, Integrative systematics illuminates the relationships in two sponge-associated hydrozoan families (Capitata: Sphaerocorynidae and Zancleopsidae), Contributions to Zoology 90, pp. 487-525 : 509

Family Zancleopsidae Bouillon, 1978

Diagnosis: Polyps known for Zancleopsis only; colonies stolonal; hydrocaulus short to moderately long, simple, arising from a hydrorhiza embedded in host sponge; perisarc thin, covering both the hydrorhiza and the hydrocaulus; hydranth slightly pyriform to cylindrical, with proboscis-like hypostome and dicapitate tentacles in one or two alternating whorls around broadest part of body; gonophores developing among tentacles as free medusae.

Medusa with conical or dome-shaped umbrella, with or without apical projection; manubrium flask-shaped, with quadrate or cruciform base, mouth simple, cruciform or circular, with or without lips; two or four tentacles, with or without capitate branches; bulbs with adaxial hemispherical projections equipped with nematocysts; with or without abaxial ocelli; gonads aradial to interradial, with interradial grooves.