Biodiversity & Conservation

A comb jelly - Bolinopsis infundibulum

Bolinopsis infundibulum

Image Paul Naylor - Drifting Bolinopsis infundibulum. Image width ca XX cm.
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Distribution map

Bolinopsis infundibulum recorded (dark blue bullet) and expected (light blue bullet) distribution in Britain and Ireland (see below)

Why do the maps differ?

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Bolinopsis infundibulum is not listed under any importance categories.

Taxonomy icon Taxonomy Taxon English term
Phylum Ctenophora Sea gooseberries & comb jellies
Class Tentaculata
Authority (O F Mller, 1776)
Recent synonyms None
Map icon Recorded Distribution in Britain and Ireland Found throughout British and Irish waters.
Habitat information icon Habitat information Pelagic in coastal waters but may sometimes become trapped in intertidal pools.
Text page icon Description Bolinopsis infundibulum is a medium-sized, oblong shaped comb jelly. It may reach up to 15 cm in length. It is completely transparent or, more rarely, a milkish white colour. It swims with eight longitudinal combs, four long rows and four short rows, that give the comb jellies (ctenophores) their characteristic shimmering appearance. These combs consist of plates of transverse rows of hairs that beat in waves downwards, which produces the shimmering effect. These plates are phosphorescent at night. Bolinopsis infundibulum only has two small tentacles with fringes along its sides.
Identifying features
  • Transparent oblong body up to 15 cm in length.
  • Radially symmetrical with secondary bilateral symmetry.
  • Eight longitudinal rows of combs, four short and four long rows.
  • Two small tentacles.
  • The mouth is surrounded by two large flaps.
  • The opposite end of the body is forms an obtuse point.
Additional information icon Additional information Bolinopsis infundibulum is carnivorous and feeds on copepods, euphausids and other zooplankton. Prey are funneled on to the mucous-covered loral flaps with the aid of ciliated structures known as auricles. Cilia transport the captured food to the mouth (Gamble, 1977).

This review can be cited as follows:

Morvan Barnes 2008. Bolinopsis infundibulum. A comb jelly. Marine Life Information Network: Biology and Sensitivity Key Information Sub-programme [on-line]. Plymouth: Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom. [cited 31/07/2010]. Available from: <http://www.marlin.ac.uk/speciesinformation.php?speciesID=2782>