Coe. 48 Velella

            Kingdom         - Animalia

            Phylum            - Cnidaria

            Class                - Hydrozoa 

            Subclass           - Hydroidolina

            Order               - Anthoathecata

            Family             - Porpitidae

            Genus              - Velella

 Character:

            The genus Velella, known as the By-the-Wind sailor, and Porpita, known as blue-buttons (not to be confused with blue-bottles), are two interesting Hydrozoans (Cnidarians) that live at the surface of the water. Although they are blue-colored hydrozoans and float partly above the water like the Portuguese Man o' War (Physalia), they are not especially closely related to it or other siphonophores.             

One of the most interesting things about Velella is that it is best described as a hydroid colony which has flipped itself over. It is unlike a traditional jellyfish (medusa), but rather like the benthic stage of a hydroid. Instead of living attached to rocks on the bottom, its "substrate" is the ocean's surface. These hydroid colonies bud off tiny medusae, little "jellyfish", just like many benthic hydroids do.