''Bathocyroe fosteri'' is a species of lobate
ctenophore
Ctenophora (; : ctenophore ) is a phylum of marine invertebrates, commonly known as comb jellies, that inhabit sea waters worldwide. They are notable for the groups of cilia they use for swimming (commonly referred to as "combs"), and they ar ...
found at intermediate depths in all the world's oceans. The species is very common and abundant near the
Mid-Atlantic Ridge
The Mid-Atlantic Ridge is a mid-ocean ridge (a Divergent boundary, divergent or constructive Plate tectonics, plate boundary) located along the floor of the Atlantic Ocean, and part of the List of longest mountain chains on Earth, longest mountai ...
. It is
bioluminescent
Bioluminescence is the emission of light during a chemiluminescence reaction by living organisms. Bioluminescence occurs in multifarious organisms ranging from marine vertebrates and invertebrates, as well as in some fungi, microorganisms inc ...
, and is typically observed hanging motionlessly in an upright or inverted posture although it can flap its oral lobes to swim. This deep-sea comb jelly is named for
Alvin (DSV-2) pilot Dudley Foster, who collected the first specimens.
Description
''Bathocyroe fosteri'' is mostly transparent with red pigmented inner gut walls. It has short comb rows and measures 2–4 cm across the oral lobes. These oral lobes are used to contain prey until they are drawn into the gut with its tentacles.
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References
External links
OurAmazingPlanet.com, Gallery: Creatures from the Census of Marine Life
Lobata
Bioluminescent ctenophores
Animals described in 1978
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