Saturday 15 June Sea gooseberry (Pleurobrachia pileus) Sea
gooseberry fact file - Find out more - Print factsheet Sea
gooseberry description Members of the phylum Ctenophora are
known as sea-gooseberries or comb-jellies, and are startlingly
beautiful marine invertebrates. They are commonly mistaken for
jellyfish, but belong to their own group that is totaally
unrelated to jellyfish (3). Pleurobrachia pileus has a
transparent spherical body bearing two feathery tentacles, which
can be completely drawn back into special pouches. The name
comb-jelly refers to the eight rows of hair-like cilia present
on the body, which are known as comb-rows. The rhythmic beating
of these cilia enables the animal to swim, and also refracts
light, creating a multi-coloured shimmer (2).Top Sea gooseberry
biology Despite their delicate, almost ghostly appearance, sea-
gooseberries are voracious predators, feeding on fish eggs and
larvae, molluscs, copepod crustaceans, and even other sea-
gooseberries (5). Prey is caught by the long t