Venus girdle
(Redirected from Cestum)
| Venus girdle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Photographed in Hawaii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Ctenophora |
| Class: | Tentaculata |
| Order: | Cestida |
| Family: | Cestidae |
| Genus: | Cestum Lesueur, 1813 |
| Species: | C. veneris |
| Binomial name | |
| Cestum veneris Lesueur, 1813 | |
The Venus girdle (Cestum veneris) is a comb jelly in the family Cestidae. It is the only member of its genus, Cestum,[1] and is also the largest of all known ctenophores.
Description
[edit]Venus girdles resemble transparent ribbons with iridescent edges. They may grow up to 1.5 m in total length.[2] Canals run the length of the ribbon in which bioluminescence activates when disturbed.[3]
Distribution
[edit]This species is pelagic and is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide in midwater.[3]
Ecology
[edit]These animals swim horizontally using muscular contractions as well as the beating of the comb rows. The oral edge leads. They eat small crustaceans.[3]
References
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Cestum veneris.
Wikispecies has information related to Cestum veneris.
- ↑ "WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Cestum veneris Lesueur, 1813". marinespecies.org. Retrieved 10 September 2013.
- ↑ Starling, Marlowe (2026-09-16). "Ctenophores Aren't Just Beautiful. They're Biological Wonders". Quanta Magazine. Retrieved 2026-09-22.
- 1 2 3 Wrobel, D.; Mills, C. (2003). Pacific Coast Pelagic Invertebrates: A Guide to the Common Gelatinous Animals. Sea Challengers. ISBN 0-930118-23-5.