This ctenophore, or comb jelly, belongs to the genus Thalassocalyce. Only one species is currently described and the present species is either a mature form of that species, Thalassocalyce inconstans, or it is a new deeper-living species. The white bands that occur in pairs are the gonads of the animal and their resemblance to eyes when the hemispherical, medusoid body is viewed from above lend it its common Japanese name of the “mask jelly.”
Ctenophore
Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana.
This ctenophore, or comb jelly, belongs to the genus Thalassocalyce. Only one species is currently described and the present species is either a mature form of that species, Thalassocalyce inconstans, or it is a new deeper-living species. The white bands that occur in pairs are the gonads of the animal and their resemblance to eyes when the hemispherical, medusoid body is viewed from above lend it its common Japanese name of the “mask jelly.” Download larger version (jpg, 973 KB).
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