Pleurobrachia+bachei

//Pleurobrachia bachei// Class: Tentaculata Order: Cydippida  Family: Pleurobrachiidae //Pleurobrachia bachei//, more commonly referred to as “the gooseberry of the sea” or the “sea gooseberry,” due to the fact that its body resembles the gooseberry, is the one of the most common comb jellies of the West Coast. They usually can be found in the epipelagic zone of the marine environment.

//P. bachei// are on average 1 to 2 cm in length with two tentacles that can reach up to 15 cm. They have bilateral symmetry. They also have a spherical body. They have eight rows of cilia that resemble combs. These cilia are used to propel the pleurobrachia bachei forward. The cilia are iridescent, and they beat in coordination.

//P. bachei// have colloblast cells that produce a sticky substance on their tentacles. The use this sticky substance to help them trap prey. //P. bachei// are passive predators. They extend their tentacles and wait with its mouth upright. When the prey, usually copepods, larval fish, eggs, or small crustaceans, is caught on their tentacle, they swim forward while retracting their tentacles simultaneously, engulfing the prey.

 //P. bachei// are hermaphroditic. They release both eggs and sperms from their mouth and they fertilize in the water. Up to 1000 eggs can be released from an adult //P. bachei// per day Thalassocalyce Home