Mnemiopsis leidyi Agassiz, 1865
Warty comb jelly
Mnemiopsis leidyi
photo by Patrão de Oliveira, Otto Müller

Family:  Bolinopsidae (sea walnuts)
Max. size:  18 cm TL (male/unsexed); max.weight: 1.0 g
Environment:  pelagic; marine; depth range 5 - 200 m
Distribution:  Asia-Inland Water, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.
Diagnosis:  Polymorphic species, with Baltic Sea individuals smaller and adults do not have very long oral lobes unlike the Black Sea individuals (Ref. 2959). Inner structures of the lobes originate at the level of the apical organ near the top of the organism. Has eight meridianal canals (Ref. 2956). Confused with the dominant ctenophore in the North Sea, Bolinopsis infundibulum due to their similarities in appearance.
Biology:  Found in marine and brackish waters (Ref. 770). Found in the intertidal, bay and nearshore, outer continental shelf and slope (Ref. 116106). A carnivorous hunter which feeds on zooplankton, including meroplankton, fish eggs and fish larvae (Ref. 2969). Known to tolerate a wide range of salinity (3.4 to 75.0 parts per mile) and temperature (1.3 to 32°C) from its native range in the American region.
IUCN Red List Status: Not Evaluated (N.E.) Ref. 123251)
Threat to humans: 
Country info:   
 

Source and more info: www.sealifebase.org. For personal, classroom, and other internal use only. Not for publication.