Acale'phæ

Acale'phæ (Gr., 'nettles'), a term first applied by Aristotle to the jelly-fish tribe, on account of their stinging powers. At a later period the designation was used by Cuvier and others to include the true medusæ or jelly-fishes, Acraspeda (q.v.), the Lucernarida (q.v.), and the Ctenophora (q.v.), while others have given it a still wider application equal to Celenterata. The term has now been replaced by a more precise nomenclature. See CELENTERATA, HYDROZOA, and JELLY-FISH.