Although members of this phyllum have worldwide distribution, they are seldom recognized because of their strong superficial resemblance to jellyfish. Known as comb jellies or sea gooseberries, ctenophores are usually characterized by a transparent globular body having a diameter of less than 1 cm. A few specialized genera have ribbon or wormlike shapes. Most ctenophores are active swimmers, locomotion being achieved by eight rows of cilia called ctenes. Two classes are recognized: Tentaculata, whose members possess a pair of long, feathery tentacles used to collect plankton during feeding; and Nuda, lacking tentacles. Unlike jellyfish, ctenophores almost always lack stinging cells. Strictly marine, they are generally pelagic in habitat, although a few modified forms are creepers that live on the ocean floor. Many species are strongly bioluminescent. The Ctenophora are important predators since they feed upon the planktonic larva of molluscs and other marine organisms, sometimes...
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References
Hyman, L. H., 1940. The Invertebrates, Vol. I.: Protozoa through Ctenophora. New York: McGraw-Hill, 726p.
Konai, T., 1963. A note on the phylogeny of the Ctenophora, in E. C. Dougherty, ed., The Lower Metazoa. Berkeley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 181–188.
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© 1982 Hutchinson Ross Publishing Company
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Mustoe, G. (1982). Ctenophora . In: Beaches and Coastal Geology. Encyclopedia of Earth Sciences Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_139
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/0-387-30843-1_139
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