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Narcomedusae

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Narcomedusae is an order of hydrozoans in the subclass Trachylinae. Members of this order do not normally have a polyp stage. The medusa has a dome-shaped bell with thin sides. The tentacles are attached above the lobed margin of the bell with usually a gastric pouch above each. There are no bulbs on the tentacles and no radial canals. Narcomedusans are mostly inhabitants of the open sea and deep waters. They can be found in the Mediterranean in large numbers. Narcomedusae are essential to the ecosystem as they are top-down regulators for the midwater environment.

Wikidata facts

Instance of
monotypic taxon
Parent taxon
Trachylinae
Image
Bathykorus bouilloni.jpg
Show 5 more facts
Commons category
Narcomedusae
taxon rank
order
topic's main category
Category:Narcomedusae
taxon name
Narcomedusae
taxon common name
Наркомедузи
Sources (1)

via Wikidata · CC0

~2 min read

Encyclopedic overview

5 sections
Contents
  • Feeding behavior
  • Reproductive features
  • Anatomy
  • Gallery
  • References

Narcomedusae is an order of hydrozoans in the subclass Trachylinae. Members of this order do not normally have a polyp stage. The medusa has a dome-shaped bell with thin sides. The tentacles are attached above the lobed margin of the bell with usually a gastric pouch above each. There are no bulbs on the tentacles and no radial canals. Narcomedusans are mostly inhabitants of the open sea and deep waters. They can be found in the Mediterranean in large numbers. Narcomedusae are essential to the ecosystem as they are top-down regulators for the midwater environment.

==Feeding behavior== Narcomedusae use their tentacles to catch large, fast-moving prey. They do this by holding their tentacles perpendicular to the direction they are swimming to cover a larger area. If something is caught they bend the tentacle inwards and coil them at the tips to their mouths.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Narcomedusae” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.