Portuguese man-of-war (redirected from Portuguese men-of-war)

Portuguese man-of-war: see jellyfish; polyp and medusa.

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Portuguese man-of-war

Any of various floating, warm-water marine cnidarians (genus Physalia, class Hydrozoa) found worldwide but mostly in the Gulf Stream and the Indian and Pacific oceans. The medusa-form body consists of a translucent, jellylike, gas-filled float, which may be 3–12 in. (9–30 cm) long. Polyps beneath the float bear hanging tentacles up to 165 ft (50 m) long. Nematocysts on some polyps paralyze fish and other prey. Other polyps then attach to, spread over, and digest the victim. A third type of polyp is involved in reproduction. The painful sting of Physalia can cause fever, shock, or disruption of heart and lung function.

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Portuguese man-of-war

any of several large complex colonial hydrozoans of the genus Physalia, esp P. physalis, having an aerial float and long stinging tentacles: order Siphonophora

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Portuguese man-of-war [‚pȯr·chə′gēz ¦man əv ′wȯr]

(invertebrate zoology)

Any of several brilliantly colored tropical siphonophores in the genusPhysaliawhich possess a large float and extremely long tentacles.

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Portuguese man-of-war

a long tentacled jellyfish whose sting can be deadly. [Zoology: NCE, 1408]

See : Deadliness