Conica are a cnidaria

Cnidaria

Cnidaria is a phylum containing over 9,000 species of animals found exclusively in aquatic and mostly marine environments. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that they use mainly for capturing prey. Their bodies consist of mesoglea, a non-living jelly-like substance,...

n suborder of the Leptomedusae

Leptomedusae

Leptomedusae or Leptomedusa, commonly called thecate hydroids, are a cnidarian order in the subclass Leptolinae. They were formerly placed at suborder rank in the paraphyletic "Hydroida"...

 (thecate hydroids). They make up the bulk of their order

Order (biology)

In scientific classification used in biology, the order is# a taxonomic rank used in the classification of organisms. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, family, genus, and species, with order fitting in between class and family...

; their internal relationships are not well resolved, and most of the roughly 30 families

Family (biology)

In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...

 are not yet assigned to a superfamily

Taxonomic rank

In biological classification, rank is the level in a taxonomic hierarchy. Examples of taxonomic ranks are species, genus, family, and class. Each rank subsumes under it a number of less general categories...

.

They are named for the distinctive shape of their hypostome

Hypostome

A hypostome , is a calcified harpoon-like structure near the mouth area of certain parasitic arthropods including ticks and mites , that allows them to anchor themselves firmly in place on a host mammal while sucking blood...

, the "tip" of the polyp

Polyp

A polyp in zoology is one of two forms found in the phylum Cnidaria, the other being the medusa. Polyps are approximately cylindrical in shape and elongated at the axis of the body...

s' body where the mouth is located. As opposed to the smaller thecate suborder Proboscidoidea with their elongated hypostome, the Conica have a simple hypostome without a pregastric cavity and a shape that is generally round or conical

Cone (geometry)

A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...

.

Well-known members of the Conica are the "air fern

Air fern

Neptune plant or Air fern is a name given to a product that is composed of a species of marine animal called Sertularia argentea, also known as the "sea fir"....

" (Sertilaria argentea) of the Sertulariidae which is sold dried as novelty "plants" and aquarium ornaments, and the Crystal Jelly (Aequorea victoria) of the Aequoreidae

Aequoreidae

Aequoreidae is a hydrozoan family. There are approximately 30 known species found in temperate and tropical marine coastal environments. Aequoreids include Aequorea victoria, the organism from which the green fluorescent protein gene was isolated....

, a bioluminescent hydrozoan.

Systematics

Apart from the families assigned to the three named superfamilies, there are many Conica that are presently unassigned as to superfamily, either because their relationships and/or validity remain unknown or because they represent minor but very ancient ancient lineages basal to the three main radiations within this order:
Basal and incertae sedis

Incertae sedis

, is a term used to define a taxonomic group where its broader relationships are unknown or undefined. Uncertainty at specific taxonomic levels is attributed by , , and similar terms.-Examples:*The fossil plant Paradinandra suecica could not be assigned to any...

• Family Aequoreidae
  Aequoreidae
  Aequoreidae is a hydrozoan family. There are approximately 30 known species found in temperate and tropical marine coastal environments. Aequoreids include Aequorea victoria, the organism from which the green fluorescent protein gene was isolated....
  
  
• Family Barcinidae
• Family Clathrozoellidae (often included in Clathrozoidae or placed in Anthomedusae
  Anthomedusae
  Anthomedusae or Anthomedusa, the athecate hydroids, are an order of the Hydrozoa, a class of marine invertebrates belonging to the phylum Cnidaria...
  
  )
• Family Clathrozoidae Stechow, 1921
• Family Dipleurosomatidae
• Family Eirenidae (including Eutimidae, Timoididae)
• Family Haleciidae
  Haleciidae
  The Haleciidae are a hydrozoan family of the suborder Conica. Their hydroid colonies emerge from a creeping hydrorhiza and usually form upright branching colonies; some species' colonies are stolonal though. Their gonophores are typically sporosacs, growing singly or bunched into a glomulus...
  
  
• Family Lafoeidae (including Hebellidae)
• Family Laodiceidae
• Family Lovenellidae
  Lovenellidae
  The Lovenellidae are a hydrozoan family of the suborder Conica. Their hydroids live together in upright stolonal or sympodial colonies, and their gonophores are pedunculate free-roaming medusae....
  
   (including Cirrholoveniidae, Eucheilotidae)
• Family Malagazziidae
• Family Melicertidae
• Family Mitrocomidae Haeckel, 1879
• Family Octocannoidae
• Family Orchistomatidae
• Family Phialellidae
• Family Sugiuridae
• Family Syntheciidae
• Family Teclaiidae
• Family Tiarannidae
• Family Tiaropsidae Boero, Bouillon & Danovaro, 1987
• Family Zygophylaxidae (often included in Lafoeidae)

Superfamily Campanulinoidea (disputed)

• Family Blackfordiidae
• Family Calycellidae (often included in Campanulinidae)
• Family Campanulinidae
• Family Lineolariidae (often included in Campanulinidae)

Superfamily Plumularioidea

Plumularioidea

Plumularioidea are one of the few rather robustly established superfamilies of the cnidarian suborder Conica.This superfamily unites about 30 genera in the following families:* Aglaopheniidae Marktanner-Turneretscher, 1890* Halopterididae...

 (4 families)

Superfamily Sertularioidea

• Family Sertulariidae Fleming, 1828
• Family Thyroscyphidae