discussion among taxonomists who work with pelagic Cnidaria. The three genera were put in with athecate hydroids in the mid-to-late 19th century by some, whereas other authors at the time included them in the Siphonophorae. A new order was established for these genera by Totton, in 1954, called the Chondrophora, while at the same time, other authors favored again placing them in the Anthomedusae/Athecatae. Most authors in the past 40 years have accepted interpretation of these animals as unusual floating colonial athecate hydroids, which produce medusae clearly belonging in the Anthomedusae. Although the exact position of the family Porpitidae within the Athecatae/Anthomedusae is not yet clear, the order Chondrophora is no longer used by hydrozoan systematists. See alsoPorpita porpita'' References External links Animal Diversity Web: Velella Jellieszone.com: Velella Marine Life Information Network Plankton Chronicles Short documentary films and photos Porpitidae Monotypic cnidarian genera Taxa named by Jean-Baptiste Lamarck