English Deutsch Français Italiano Español Português 繁體中文 Bahasa Indonesia Tiếng Việt ภาษาไทย
All categories

a. bilaterally symmetrical
b. similar to a cnidarian polyp
c. distinguished by eight bands of cilia
d. colonial animals
e. carnivores that use nematocysts to capture prey

2007-01-29 03:45:39 · 2 answers · asked by Anonymous in Science & Mathematics Biology

2 answers

(C) dist by 8 bands of cilia

The signature characteristic of ctenophores are the comb rows. Formed by plates of closely-spaced cilia that are fused at the bases, comb rows beat in a wave pattern that moves from the aboral to the oral end. This constantly shifting pattern of rising and falling comb plates is easily visible. Movement of a comb plate triggers the comb next in line to begin its stroke, which in turn leads to a sequential succession of strokes to form the wave. Each comb makes a rapid stroke in the direction of the aboral end, with a slower recovery to the upright position. This serves to propel the animal with a smooth motion quite unlike the cnidarian stop-and-go pattern. Comb jellies are the largest of all animals that utilize the beating of cilia for locomotion. It doesn't stop there - with lengths up to 2 mm, ctenophore cilia are the longest of any known. Each single comb within a row is made up of several thousand cilia, and each row may have dozens of combs, so an individual ctenophore is endowed with many thousands of cilia. All adult ctenophores possess eight comb rows, which easily distinguish them from any other type of gelatinous animal. A strikingly beautiful shimmering rainbow pattern is produced by the diffraction of light passing between the cilia.

While they are carnivores, they don't have nematocysts
They have radial symmetry, with underlying bilaterial symmetry-different than Cnidarian polyp which is radial
They aren't colonial

2007-01-29 03:59:38 · answer #1 · answered by GatorGal 4 · 0 0

c. eight comb rows (bands of cilia) check out this site for more than you care to know:
http://jellieszone.com/ctenophores.htm

2007-01-29 11:51:40 · answer #2 · answered by lynn y 3 · 0 0

fedest.com, questions and answers