Mnemiopsis leidyi (Warty comb jelly) (MneLei_Aug2011)

About Mnemiopsis leidyi

Mnemiopsis leidyi, the warty comb jelly or sea walnut, is a ctenophore, originally native to western Atlantic coasts but now found throughout Europe and Asia, in waters of varying salinity and temperature. M. leidyi has a lobed body and four rows of cilia by which it moves. It can grow up to 12 cm long and 2.5 cm wide, making them the largest animals that move by means of cilia. In the absence of predators (e.g. Beroe ovata, another ctenophore) this comb jelly can drastically deplete fish populations, because it feeds on fish eggs, larvae and plankton.

The phylogenetic position of M. leidyi has been long debated, with recent studies positioning ctenophores as the sister group to porifera, placozoa, cnidaria and bilateria. The study of key biological processes, like regeneration and axial patterning, and its phylogenetic importance make the comb jelly an important model for evolutionary and developmental studies.

Picture credit (Creative Commons BY-SA 3.0): Steven G. Johnson 2008

Taxonomy ID 27923

Data source National Human Genome Research Institute

More information and statistics

Genome assembly: MneLei_Aug2011

More information and statistics

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Gene annotation

What can I find? Protein-coding and non-coding genes, splice variants, cDNA and protein sequences, non-coding RNAs.

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Comparative genomics

What can I find? Homologues, gene trees, and whole genome alignments across multiple species.

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Phylogenetic overview of gene families

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Variation

This species currently has no variation database. However you can process your own variants using the Variant Effect Predictor:

Variant Effect Predictor