Size

Length: 2.5-7.5cm (1-3")

Recognition Characters

Planktonic, oval shaped, transparent. Bears eight radially symmetrical rows of comblike paddles. Each comb consists of thousands of cilia which beat rapidly to propel the organism through the water. In juveniles a pair of retractile tentacles are used to catch prey that may be much longer than their body length. In adults the tentacles are reduced.

Color

Transparent. Comb rows produce prism of colors by bioluminescence.

Habitat & Depth

Drift in open oceans.

Distribution at GRNMS

Common. Encountered in water column during diving descents and ascents.

Geographic Range

North Carolina south to Brazil, Gulf of Mexico

Behavior & Notes

Although similar in appearance to jellyfish, ctenophores do not possess stinging tentacles with nematocysts. Instead tentacles are lined with sticky cells known as colloblasts which discharge a sticky, adhesive thread when touched.

Synonyms

References

Ruppert and Fox 1988