Aquascope

Facts

Cillia plates, interference and
"running lights"

<A HREF="beroth.mov">&#91;Watch running lights!&#93;</A>

Comb jellies swim by waving small short hairs known as ciliae. The ciliae are fused together in to small plates to form rows that are known as comb-rows, totaling eight in number and follow the length of the body. Interference in the thin cilia plates makes them shimmer with different colours. This is a result of that certain wavelengths in the reflected light are amplified, while others are subdued or extinguished.


Comb jellies     Other names
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© Aquascope 2000   Tjärnö Marine Biological Laboratory, Strömstad, Sweden
Bo Johannesson | Martin Larsvik | Lars-Ove Loo | Helena Samuelsson