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August 4, 2020: Ctenophore

Seen during water column exploration at the end of a 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana: Exploring Deep Monument Waters Around Johnston Atoll expedition dive, 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.”

Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana. Download larger version (jpg, 974 KB).

Seen during water column exploration at the end of a 2017 Laulima O Ka Moana: Exploring Deep Monument Waters Around Johnston Atoll expedition dive, this ctenophore, or comb jelly, belongs to the genus Thalassocalyce. Only one species within this genus is currently described, and the ctenophore in this image is either a mature form of that species, Thalassocalyce inconstans, or 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 this ctenophore its common Japanese name of the “mask jelly.”

From: Reflections on Water Column Animals.