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Article: Not all ctenophores are bioluminescent: Pleurobrachia.
- Article from:
- The Biological Bulletin
- Article date:
- December 1, 1995
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1995 Marine Biological Laboratory. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Introduction
Planktonic marine invertebrates are noted for their ability to produce light (Herring, 1987; Haddock and Case, 1994), but even among these organisms, the phylum Ctenophora is remarkable for the extent of bioluminescence expression. Because there have been no systematic investigations, speculation about the true extent of bioluminescence ability in ctenophores comes mainly from secondary sources. According to Ruppert and Barnes (1994), "Ctenophores are noted for their luminescence, which is characteristic of all species." Others agree that "all ctenophores" (MacGintie and MacGintie, 1968) or "probably all species" (Harvey, 1940) are bioluminescent, ...