Tentaculata
From Freepedia
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| Image:LightRefractsOf comb-rows of ctenophore Mertensia ovum.jpg Mertensia ovum | ||||||
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Tentaculata is a class of Ctenophora known as comb jellies. A feature common for this class is to have two feathery tentacles, which they can retract into specialized sheaths. In some species the primary tentacles are reduced and they have smaller, secondary tentacles. Includes the small, oval sea gooseberries (genus Pleurobrachia ), found on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The more flattened species of the genus Mnemiopsis, about 4.1 in. long (10 cm), is common on the upper Atlantic coast; it has a large mouth and mainly feeds on larval mollusks and copepods. This species is brilliantly luminescent. The similar, but larger, genus Leucothea is abundant on the Pacific coast. Venus's girdle (genus Cestum ) is a flattened, ribbonlike form reaching over 1 yd (91 cm) in length, and found in tropical waters.
