Phylogenetic systematics, taxonomy and biogeography of Jellyfish (Cnidaria: Medusozoa) [PhD Thesis]: University of Kansas. 174 p. Early Life History of Alatina cf

ii The coastal shelf inhabiting box jellyfish (Cubozoa) represent the smallest class within Cnidaria with some 50 described species. A robust phylogenetic framework had been missing for Cubozoa. Herein, a molecular phylogeny for Cubozoa is presented. This phylogeny served as the basis for several taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in a reverse taxonomic approach, striving to align the classification scheme for Cubozoa with phylogenetic history. In addition, the revised classification led to a reevaluation of morphological characters used for the delineation and identification of species and higher taxa. This information was condensed into an illustrated taxonomic key to aid the identification of box jellyfish by non-specialists. Furthermore, the utility of ecological niche models for predicting the potential geographic distributions of box jellyfish based on correlations between species occurrences and environmental data was assessed. Since box jellyfish distributions are generally poorly documented, modeling approaches that make use of the limited data available may be of much value for making predictions about species distributions. Similarly, species distributions in the open oceans, i