z Pleurobrachia

& Cydippid
Larva
z Pleurobrachia
Characteristics

Comb jelly,Sea walnut or Sea gooseberry

Marine(Atlantic,Pacafic & West Pacafic Coasts
Inhabiting the surface of seas
Short lived life span
Aggressive Predators (Copepods)
Is a microphagous carnivore
Reproduce Sexually & Asexually
Predators-Large jellies
 Structure
z

 Biradially symmetrical, Transparent & Gelatinous

 Pear Shaped Body

 Presence of Cilia-Swimming(largest species)

 Body conposed of 99% of water

 8 rows of comb plates

 Catch prey-Tentacles(Adhesive Cells)

 Aboral poles & Oral poles

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 Costae/Comb-ribs/Comb-rows : Meridional rows of ciliary bands

 Ctenes/Combs/Paddle plates : Series of paddle like transverse

ciliary plates [cilia are fused
basally but free distally]

 Comb plates : Locomotor structures and it helps in swimming

 Tentacle sheath : Deep pouches near the aboral pole

 Tentacle : Long,muscular and extensile structure emerging from

tentacle sheath [plays an active role in food capture and ingestion]

 Collocytes/Lasso cells : Specialised adhesive epidermal cells

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Histology

 Diploblastic body wall [epidermis,endodermis & mesogloea]

 Epidermis is a bilayered epithelium

 Epidermis forms a lining of mouth,pharynx & tendacle sheaths

 Inner epidermal layer consist of myo-epithelial cells & nerve cells

 Outer layer consist of five kinds of cells :

 Cilliated cells [restricted to costae]

 Collocytes [restricted to tendacles & tentillae]

 Mucus secreting cells

 Sensory cells [wide spread]

 Interstitial cells
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Histology & Musculature

 Endodermis lines the gastro-vascular canals

 Epidermal musculature- both circular & longitudinal

 Mesogloea contains connective tissue fibers [myocytes]

 Mesogloeal musculature- circular,longitudinal & radial

 Muscle fibers- seen in epidermis and mesoglea

 Muscle fibers are unstripped [differ from higher animals]

 Actin filaments anchor only to plasma membrane

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Tentacles

 Tentacles are solid & muscular

 Formed of a central core of mesenchyme

 Mesenchyme : loose mass,composed of muscle

fibers,connective tissue cells & wandering amoeboid cells

 Tentillae/Pinnae : thread like lateral branches

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Collocytes

 Specialised adhesive epidermal cells

 Differenciate from epidermal interstitial cells

 Has a hemispherical apical cap or “head”

 Outer margin produced into adhesive papillae

 Nuclear filament/stalk : stiff axial filament from base of cell [anchors

the collocyte in epidermis and mesogloea]

 Secretory granules are present on the surface of head

 Secrete an adhesive substance to entangle and kill small organisms

 Once used,gets damaged soon it will be replaced by new one

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Gastro-vascular canals

 The entire group of canals run through mesoglea [jelly like]

 Initial part has ectodermal lining [mouth & stomodaeum]

 Remaining part has endodermal [gastrodermal]

 G.lining Composed of vacuolated nutritive cell,reproductive germ cell

& bioluminescent photocytes

 Stomodaeum/Pharynx:laterally compressed tube[leading from mouth]

 Stomodaeum joins with oesophagus which leads to

infundibulum/fennel
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Aboral canal
 Leading out from the stomach are 3 main canals
 Median aboral canal

 pair of Transverse/pre radial canal

 Aboral canals divides into 4 braches called Anal canals

 Each canal has dilation-ampulla

 Seen around aboral sense organ

 Anal pore serve for ejestion of faecal matter

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Transverse canal

 Leading out from the basal portion of 2 blinding canals are

Stomodaeal/Pharyngeal & tentacular canal

 The former runs towards the oral pole,parallel to the

stomodaeum & the latter runs to the tentacle sheaths

 Pre radical canal divides into 2 inter-radial canals.each of them

divides into 2 ad-radial canals which joints a meriodional canal
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G.V canals

 Lining of G.V canals contains ciliated cells

 Secretory gland cells are numerous in pharyngeal canals

 Only mouth & pharyngeal canals have well developed musculature

 Significant feature of G.V system of Pleurobrachia is the bilaterally

symmetrical disposition of canals & the presence of 2 anal pores

 Digestion mostly occurs in the stomodaeum

 Products are circulated all over body by circulating fluid

 Undigested residue thrown out through anal pores

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Aboral Sensory Receptor

 Located in the centre of aboral end In a shallow ciliated depression-

ciliated pith

 Similar to statocyst of coelenterates

 Statolith: spherical mass of calcareous particles

 Ciliary plate: shallow sensory plate of ciliated epidermis

 Cupule/bell: transparent case which encloses statolith & C.plate

[formed by fusion of cilia]

 Polar fields/polar plates: 2 ciliary bands extending from sensory floor

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 Balancers : 4 tufts of long & fused cilia arising from ciliary

plates which project inward & protect the statolith

 Passing outward from each balancer is a ciliated groove

 Divide into 2 grooves

 Run along 2 corresponding comb-rows

 These are the pathways for transmission of nerve impulses

from apical receptor to the ctenes of comb-rows
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 A.S receptor is concerned with the equilibration of the body

 Change in position upsets the equilibrium of the body

 Statolith excerts more pressure on balancer on the inclined side

 This stimulates the balancers and impulses-transmitted from it

to the corresponding comb-rows through ciliary grooves

 In response,cilia beat more vigorously and this helps to regain

the balance


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Reproduction & development

 Sexual reproduction

 Most of them are hermaphrodites [ocyropsis & gonochoric]

 Gonads are endodermal structures [as in scyphozoa & anthozoa]

 Testes develop on the outside & ovaries on the other side

 Ripe gametes pass out to the canals from the gonads reach the
stomach and finally pass to the outside through mouth

 Fertilization and development takes place in the open sea water

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 Egg is telolecithal & cleavage is meroblastic,unequal & determinate

[mosaic]

 Cleavage results in a solid blastula

 gradually transforms to a gastrula by epiboly[over growth of cells]

& emboly or invagination [pushing of cells]

 Embryo undergoes further development & then comes out of the

egg & swims freely

 The free swimming embryo straight away develops to a mature

adult [pleurobrachia,horniphora,…]
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Cydippid larve

 In complex ctenophores embryo transforms to a planktonic

juvenile

 Some cases, cydippid develops to an adult which attains

sexual maturity & starts sexual reproduction

 In other instances, cydippid precociously attains sexual

maturity….& then grows to adult- dissogeny or dissogony

 In dissogeny: mature cydippid stage & adult stage[sexually

mature stages]