Ctenophora (Noun)
Meaning
Comb jellies; sea acorns; a small phylum formerly considered a class of Coelenterata.
Classification
Nouns denoting animals.
Examples
- The ctenophora, commonly known as sea walnuts or comb jellies, are a group of small, marine animals that feed by using their cilia for filtering tiny organisms from the water.
- The gelatinous bodies of some species of ctenophora reflect light and give an iridescent appearance that is often mistaken for bioluminescence.
- Scientists have started to recognize the unique features of ctenophora and reclassify it as a separate phylum after previously being grouped as a class within the phylum Coelenterata.
- Like sea acorns and other species within the ctenophora phylum, this marine organism relies on the support from its thin yet tensile cells to maintain its overall shape.
- Research on ctenophora is continuously expanding the field of marine biology due to the highly diverse range of species within the phylum.