Mnemiopsis leidyi   Agassiz, 1865

Warty comb jelly

Native range | All suitable habitat | Point map | Year 2050
This map was computer-generated and has not yet been reviewed.
Mnemiopsis leidyi  AquaMaps  Data sources: GBIF OBIS
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Mnemiopsis leidyi

Classification / Names Common names | Synonyms | CoL | ITIS | WoRMS

Tentaculata | Lobata | Bolinopsidae

Environment: milieu / climate zone / depth range / distribution range Ecology

Pelagic; depth range 5 - 200 m (Ref. 1531).  Subtropical; 1°C - 32°C (Ref. 2982); 40°N - 46°S, 98°W - 31°W

Distribution Countries | FAO areas | Ecosystems | Occurrences | Introductions

Asia-Inland Water, Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean.

Length at first maturity / Size / Weight / Age

Maturity: Lm ?  range ? - ? cm Max length : 18.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 114265); common length : 1.0 cm TL male/unsexed; (Ref. 3033); max. published weight: 0.97 g (Ref. 3033)

Short description Morphology

Polymorphic species, with Baltic Sea individuals smaller and adults do not have very long oral lobes unlike the Black Sea individuals (Ref. 2959). Inner structures of the lobes originate at the level of the apical organ near the top of the organism. Has eight meridianal canals (Ref. 2956). Confused with the dominant ctenophore in the North Sea, Bolinopsis infundibulum due to their similarities in appearance.

Biology     Glossary (e.g. epibenthic)

Found in marine and brackish waters (Ref. 770). Found in the intertidal, bay and nearshore, outer continental shelf and slope (Ref. 116106). A carnivorous hunter which feeds on zooplankton, including meroplankton, fish eggs and fish larvae (Ref. 2969). Known to tolerate a wide range of salinity (3.4 to 75.0 parts per mile) and temperature (1.3 to 32°C) from its native range in the American region.

Life cycle and mating behavior Maturity | Reproduction | Spawning | Eggs | Fecundity | Larvae

A simultaneous hermaphrodite with direct development. Sexual reproduction begins at 3 cm length for U.S. waters species and 1 cm oral-aboral length for Black Sea species. Larvae is spherical (cydippid) and hatch in 20 to 24 hours. Develops from tentaculate to lobate feeding mechanism as it matures. Egg production is sensitive to ctenophore size, food availability and temperature. In Chesapeake Bay, USA, egg production occurred at temperatures 11.8 to 29 °C and salinities 5.6 to 29.8 parts per mille. Weight-specific egg production was greater in summer due to higher temperature, salinity and prey density than in spring. Spawning in this area peaks between 2:00 and 4:00 h. In the Black Sea, spawning begins at midnight to 2:00 h. No spawning in spring at 8 to 16 °C, intensive spawning in late summer to autumn at temperature 23 °C.

Main reference References | Coordinator | Collaborators

Mutlu, E. 1999. (Ref. 1531)

IUCN Red List Status (Ref. 130435)

  Not Evaluated 

CITES status (Ref. 108899)

Not Evaluated

CMS (Ref. 116361)

Not Evaluated

Threat to humans

Human uses


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Tools

E-book | Field guide

Internet sources

BHL | BOLD Systems | CISTI | DiscoverLife | FAO(Publication : search) | Fishipedia | GenBank (genome, nucleotide) | GloBI | Gomexsi | Google Books | Google Scholar | Google | PubMed | Tree of Life | Wikipedia (Go, Search) | Zoological Record

Estimates based on models

Preferred temperature (Ref. 115969): 14.6 - 27.3, mean 23.9 (based on 277 cells).
Vulnerability (Ref. 71543): Low vulnerability (10 of 100).
Price category (Ref. 80766): Unknown.