BeroidaeBeroidae is a family of ctenophores or comb jellies more commonly referred to as the beroids. It is the only known family within the monotypic order Beroida and the class Nuda. They are distinguished from other comb jellies by the complete absence of tentacles, in both juvenile and adult stages. Species of the family Beroidae are found in all the world's oceans and seas and are free-swimmers that form part of the plankton.
AnimalBiological kingdomAnimals are multicellular, eukaryoticorganisms belonging to the biologicalkingdomAnimalia (). Animals consume organic material, breathe oxygen, have muscle cells, can reproduce sexually, and grow from a hollow sphere of cells, the blastula, during embryonic development. With few exceptions, animals are able to move. Animals form a clade, meaning that they arose from a single common ancestor.
CydippidaCydippida is an order of comb jellies. They are distinguished from other comb jellies by their spherical or oval bodies, and the fact their tentacles are branched, and can be retracted into pouches on either side of the pharynx. The order is not monophyletic, that is, it does not form a single clade.MesogleaMesoglea refers to the extracellular matrix found in cnidarians like coral or jellyfish as well as ctenophores that functions as a hydrostatic skeleton. It is related to but distinct from mesohyl, which generally refers to extracellular material found in sponges.
LarvaA larva (; pl.: larvae) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into their next life stage. Animals with indirect development such as insects, some arachnids, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. A larva's appearance is generally very different from the adult form (e.g.caterpillars and butterflies) including different unique structures and organs that do not occur in the adult form.
TentacleIn zoology, a tentacle is a flexible, mobile, and elongated organ present in some species of animals, most of them invertebrates. In animal anatomy, tentacles usually occur in one or more pairs. Anatomically, the tentacles of animals work mainly like muscular hydrostats. Most forms of tentacles are used for grasping and feeding. Many are sensory organs, variously receptive to touch, vision, or to the smell or taste of particular foods or threats.
RotiferThe rotifers (, from Latin 'wheel' and 'bearing'), sometimes called wheel animals or wheel animalcules, make up a phylum (Rotifera) of microscopic and near-microscopic pseudocoelomateanimals. They were first described by Rev. John Harris in 1696, and other forms were described by Antonie van Leeuwenhoek in 1703.
PlatyctenidaPlatyctenida, also known as benthic comb jellies, is an order of comb jellies in the class Tentaculata. Platyctenids display a generally benthic lifestyle in contrast to most ctenophores being largely pelagic. Platyctenids display widely differing morphological characteristics from their pelagic counterparts, being highly flattened on their oral-aboral axis and having lost many key traits associated with the phylum.
Marine habitatHabitat that supports marine lifeCoral reefs provide marine habitats for tube sponges, which in turn become marine habitats for fishesA marine habitat is a habitat that supports marine life. Marine life depends in some way on the saltwater that is in the sea (the term marine comes from the Latinmare, meaning sea or ocean). A habitat is an ecological or environmental area inhabited by one or more living species. The marine environment supports many kinds of these habitats.
PhylumTaxonomic rankThe hierarchy of biological classification's eight major taxonomic ranks. A kingdom contains one or more phyla. Intermediate minor rankings are not shown.In biology, a phylum (, ; pl.: phyla) is a level of classification, or taxonomic rank, that is below kingdom and above class. Traditionally, the term division has been used in botany instead of phylum, although the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants accepts the terms as equivalent.
Aquatic locomotionAquatic locomotion or swimming is biologically propelled motion through a liquid medium. Swimming by different mechanisms has evolved repeatedly in organisms including arthropods, fish, molluscs, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals. Many single-celled organisms including bacteria and ciliates use motile organelles, cilia or flagella, while others use pseudopodia, temporary projections of the cell body powered by the cytoskeletal protein actin.
Marine invertebratesMarine invertebrates are invertebrateanimals that live in marine habitats, and make up most of the macroscopic life in the oceans. It is a polyphyleticblanket term that contains all marine animals except the marine vertebrates, including the non-vertebrate members of the phylumChordata such as lancelets, sea squirts and salps.
Special:Search/CtenophoraRelated word or term.*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.