- Tentaculata
Taxobox
name = Tentaculata
image_width = 200px
image_caption = "Mertensia ovum "
regnum =Animal ia
phylum =Ctenophora
classis = Tentaculata
classis_authority = Eschscholtz, 1825
subdivision_ranks = Orders
subdivision =Cestida Cydippida Lobata Platyctenida Tentaculata is a class of comb jellies. The common feature of this class is a pair of long, feathery, contractile
tentacle s, which can be retracted into specialised ciliated sheaths. In some species, the primary tentacles are reduced and they have smaller, secondary tentacles. The tentacles havecolloblast s, which are sticky-tipped cells that trap small prey.Body size and shape varies widely. The group includes the small, oval sea gooseberries (genus "
Pleurobrachia "), found on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The more flattened species of the genus "Mnemiopsis ", about 4inch es long (10 cm), are common on the upper Atlantic coast; it has a large mouth and mainly feeds on larvalmollusc s andcopepod s. This species is brilliantly luminescent. The similar, but larger, genus "Leucothea " is abundant on the Pacific coast.Venus' girdle (genus "Cestum ") is a flattened, ribbon-like form reaching over 3 feet (90 cm) in length, and found in tropical waters.References
Barnes, R.S.K. et al (2001). "The Invertebrates: A Synthesis". Oxford: Blackwell Science. ISBN 0-632-04761-5
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