noun
- a small marine cnidarian that forms branching colonies and has both polyp and medusa stages in its life cycle
Usage: biology
Examples
- The obelia colony attached itself to the rocky surface of the tide pool.
- Students observed the obelia’s alternating generations under the microscope.
- The obelia releases tiny jellyfish-like medusae during its reproductive phase.
- Marine biologists collected obelia specimens from the shallow coastal waters.
- The obelia’s polyps filter small particles from the seawater for food.
- Each obelia colony consists of numerous interconnected individual organisms.