Tentaculata
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2008-02-26T22:43:31Z
Mgiganteus1
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{{Taxobox
| name = Tentaculata
| image = LightRefractsOf comb-rows of ctenophore Mertensia ovum.jpg
| image_width = 200px
| image_caption = ''[[Mertensia ovum]]''
| regnum = [[Animal]]ia
| phylum = [[Ctenophora]]
| classis = '''Tentaculata'''
| classis_authority = [[Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz|Eschscholtz]], 1825
| subdivision_ranks = Orders
| subdivision =
[[Cestida]]<br>
[[Cydippida]]<br>
[[Lobata]]<br>
[[Platyctenida]]
}}
'''Tentaculata''' is a class of [[comb jelly|comb jellies]]. The common feature of this class is a pair of long, feathery, contractile [[tentacle]]s, which can be retracted into specialised [[cilium|ciliated]] sheaths. In some species, the primary tentacles are reduced and they have smaller, secondary tentacles. The tentacles have [[colloblast]]s, which are sticky-tipped cells that trap small prey.
Body size and shape varies widely. The group includes the small, oval [[sea gooseberry|sea gooseberries]] (genus ''[[Pleurobrachia]]''), found on both Atlantic and Pacific coasts. The more flattened species of the genus ''[[Mnemiopsis]]'', about 4 [[inch]]es long (10 [[centimetre|cm]]), are common on the upper Atlantic coast; it has a large mouth and mainly feeds on larval [[mollusc]]s and [[copepod]]s. This species is brilliantly [[bioluminescence|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 [[foot (unit of length)|feet]] (90 [[centimetre|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
{{ctenophore-stub}}
[[Category:Ctenophores]]
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