Bonding Tactics in Ctenophores — Morphology and Function of the Colloblast System

Abstract

Ctenophores are a group of animals found in all the world’s seas, from coastal areas to the deep sea and from the tropics to the poles (Hyman, 1940). They are sometimes called “comb jellies” because they have a jelly-like appearance and distinctive rows of comb plates (ctenes) that are used for locomotion. Most ctenophores are transparent or translucent, and range from millimeters up to two meters in length, although most are in the few centimeter range (Ruppert et al., 2004).