Phylum Ctenophora Comb Jellys

Ctenophore Means comb bearers Means comb bearers –Ex: Comb jellies –Have eight comb rows (ctenes) of fused cilis on sides that propel animal Lack stinging cells Lack stinging cells –Use colloblast (sticky cells) to catch prey Bioluminescent Bioluminescent

The frigid waters of the Canada Basin, a 2.3-mile- deep (3.7- kilometer- deep) bowl in the Arctic Ocean, team with life. Here, a tiny comb jelly streaked with tendrils of colorful reflective cells drifts near the basin's ice- covered surface.

Darkness in Antarctica's Weddell Sea gives this comb jelly a chance to show off its candy-colored bioluminescent cells.

The warty comb jelly, Mnemiopsis ledyi, is a voracious carnivore, competing with fish for small crustaceans and zooplankton in the European seas. (Credit: Lars Johan Hansson) The warty comb jelly, Mnemiopsis ledyi, is a voracious carnivore, competing with fish for small crustaceans and zooplankton in the European seas. (Credit: Lars Johan Hansson)

Ctenophore Only marine Only marine Carnivores ~ feed on zooplankton mostly Carnivores ~ feed on zooplankton mostly Mostly hermaphroditic Mostly hermaphroditic Not related to medusa Not related to medusa Planktonic Planktonic Radial symmetry Radial symmetry

A comb jelly. The evolutionary history of the comb jelly has revealed surprising clues about Earth's first animal. (Credit: Casey Dunn) A comb jelly. The evolutionary history of the comb jelly has revealed surprising clues about Earth's first animal. (Credit: Casey Dunn)

Ctenophore Tissues Tissues Nervous system Nervous system quickly repair itself quickly repair itself –a few minutes to a few hours depending on the injury - without scarring.

This heart-shaped jellyfish called a comb jelly was among thousands of tiny creatures captured in an expedition conducted in April to collect and catalog the world's deep- sea denizens.