Callianira bialata

{{Speciesbox

| genus = Callianira

| species = bialata

| image =

| authority = Delle Chiaje, 1841

| synonyms = {{Species list | Eschscholtzia cordata | Kölliker, 1853}}

| synonyms_ref =

}}

Callianira bialata is a species of comb jelly within the family Mertensiidae. Comb jellies are gelatinous marine invertebrates characterized by rows of ciliary plates, known as comb rows, which they use for locomotion. Specific morphological details about C. bialata are limited in the provided sources.{{Cite web |title=Club de Inmersión Biología :: 09. Ctenóforos, Callianira bialata |url=https://www.cibsub.cat/bioespecie_es-callianira_bialata-42802 |access-date=2025-01-05 |website=www.cibsub.cat |lang=es}}{{Cite taxon |WoRMS |title=Callianira bialata Delle Chiaje, 1841 |id=106373 |access-date=2025-01-13}}{{Cite journal |last1=Verhaegen |first1=Gerlien |last2=Cimoli |first2=Emiliano |last3=Lindsay |first3=Dhugal |date=2021-08-16 |title=Life beneath the ice: jellyfish and ctenophores from the Ross Sea, Antarctica, with an image-based training set for machine learning |journal=Biodiversity Data Journal |language=en |volume=9 |pages=e69374 |doi=10.3897/BDJ.9.e69374 |doi-access=free |pmid=34475799 |pmc=8382665 |issn=1314-2828}}

Physical description

Callianira bialata is a species of ctenophora characterized by its gelatinous, lobed body with a pale pink coloration. The lower half of its body features two horn-like appendages, which in adult specimens can get as long as its body.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

The species exhibits two axes of symmetry, and possesses two retractable tentacles used to capture prey, each with numerous small branches called tentilla.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

If observed closely, eight vertical bands can be seen extending from the posterior part of the body. These bands contain paddle-like structures called cilia plates, which move synchronously. However, its mobility is limited, and the organism is primarily carried by ocean currents.

Unlike cnidarians, Callianira bialata does not possess stinging cells.

Ecology

The vast majority of ctenophores, including Callianira bialata, feed on zooplankton (small organisms carried by currents) and ichthyoplankton (fish eggs and larvae). They capture their prey using sticky cells on their tentacles called colloblasts.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

These organisms are hermaphroditic, meaning they possess both female and male gonads. Reproduction occurs externally: individuals release eggs and sperm into the water, where fertilization takes place, resulting in the production of thousands of eggs. They exhibit a remarkably high reproductive capacity.{{cn|date=January 2025}}

References

Category:Tentaculata

Category:Taxa named by Stefano delle Chiaje

Category:Animals described in 1841