Comb jellies?

[Gidds]

Is it true that the lil comb jellies presently infesting RI waters give off bioluminesence?

What do they eat?

What eats them?

This is going to sound dumb:blush: but has anybody ever gotten one of the aforementioned jellies down thier snorkel, or worse in thier mask (or anywhere else wierd)?

**Disclaimer: I know they can't hurt me, I'm just wary of gelatinous marine life after unpleasant encounters of the cnidirian kind**

 

[SubMariner]

Is it true that the lil comb jellies presently infesting RI waters give off bioluminesence?

What do they eat?

What eats them?

This is going to sound dumb:blush: but has anybody ever gotten one of the aforementioned jellies down thier snorkel, or worse in thier mask (or anywhere else wierd)?

Here's a link you may find helpful: http://www.chesapeakebay.net/info/comb_jellies.cfm

If that doesn't help, simply google "comb jellyfish"... you'll get quite a few results!

 

[maractwin]

No, comb jellies do not bioluminesce. They eat zooplankton (small animals) such as copepods, mysids, and larval fish. I don't know what eats them up here. Sea turtles eat jellies in the tropics.

Don't worry about encountering comb jellies in the water. They don't sting. They don't have the nematocysts (stinging cells) that true jellyfish have.

I'm currently building a kreisel tank to keep these creatures in a home aquarium.

-Mark

 

[Rick Murchison]

No, comb jellies do not bioluminesce.

Every comb jelly I know of bioluminesces, and bioluminesces brighter than any other marine critter you're likely to run into diving. Just touch one... looks like a delicate Japanese lantern for a few seconds. Beautiful!
Rick

 

[maractwin]

Rick, thanks for that correction. I've been reading about them, and nothing I've seen mentions it, so I assumed that they didn't. I'll have first-hand evidence of this soon, as I expect to be collecting a few this weekend.

-Mark

 

[Gidds]

Just beause they can't sting me does not mean I want them down my snorkel or in my mask! The ones here right now are the perfet size for that.

 

[verona]

Here is one from UK waters - it was really nice watching it pulsate and the colours lighting up.

 

[Gidds]

:155: **planning a snorkel expedition to go "poke" some comb jellies after dark** :evil_4:

 

[RIOceanographer]

The ones in Narragansett Bay here in RI are primarily a lobate ctenophore called Mnemiopsis leidyi. They are extremely common in the spring and summer and are very effective predators of zooplankton. They eat copepods, fish larvae etc. They are very bioluminescent. There are things that eat them like the ocean sunfish Mola mola, but they don't appear to have any natural predators in Narragansett Bay.

They have been shown to have a major impact on zooplankton abundances in Narrgansett Bay when they are present in large numbers. My old officemate in grad school did her masters degree modeling the effects of zooplankton predation by Mnemiopsis leidyi.

There has also been some additional interest in Mnemiopsis because their abundance has been increasing in Narragansett Bay in recent years. One of the researchers at URI believes this is the result of climate change.

 

[Gidds]

How is "Mnemiopsis" pronounced?