Mertensia ovum, Arctic Ocean biodiversity

Mertensia ovum (Fabricius, 1780)

A common near-surface ctenophore of the Arctic and its marginal seas

Size

• Juveniles 2-3 mm
• Adults up to 10 cm

Color & Characteristics

• Transparent, red/pink color along the comb rows
• Body shape oblong to spherical slightly flattened
• Tentacles bulbs prominent
• Tentacles with number long side branches (tentilla)
• Deployed tentacles 10-20 times body length
• Specimen preserves, but poorly

Habitat

• Panarctic, mostly in surface waters down to 50 m

Feeding

• Eats copepods and small crustaceans trapped on sticky tentacles

Life cycle

• Generation times are unknown, probably 1 year

Page Author: Russ Hopcroft
Created: Oct 30, 2008