sb. pl. Zool. [mod. L., neuter pl. (sc. animalia) of ctenophorus, a. Gr. type *κτενοφορος, f. κτενο- comb + -φορος bearing.] A division of animals, formerly considered as an order of Acalepha, and now made a class of the CŒLENTERATA.
The present view is that they are highly specialized derivatives of the Hydromedusæ. They are marine animals of pellucid gelatinous substance and more or less spheroidal shape, swimming freely in the sea by means of peculiar fringed or ciliated locomotive organs (ctenophores), and having a localized sense-organ (ctenocyst). Among the best-known genera are Beroe and Cydippe.
1855. Gosse, Marine Zool., 41.
1878. Bell, Gegenbaur’s Comp. Anat., 100.
1888. Rolleston & Jackson, Anim. Life, 721. The Ctenophora are transparent, pelagic, and are widely distributed.
Hence Ctenophoral a., of or pertaining to the Ctenophora, or to their characteristic locomotive organs, or parts in connection with them. Ctenophoran a., of or belonging to the class Ctenophora; sb. a member of this class. Ctenophore, 1. each of the eight meridionally arranged bands or rows of plates, bearing fringes like the teeth of a comb, which constitute the locomotive organs of the Ctenophora; 2. a member of the Ctenophora, a Ctenophoran. Ctenophoric, Ctenophorous a. = CTENOPHORAL.
1861. J. R. Greene, Man. Anim. Kingd., Cœlent., 169. Along the opposite sides of each ctenophoral canal.
1888. Rolleston & Jackson, Anim. Life, 721. All movement [in Ctenophora] is carried out by the ctenophoral plates.
1877. Huxley, Anat. Inv. Anim., iii. 173. The essential peculiarities of a Ctenophoran.
1888. Rolleston & Jackson, Anim. Life, 578, note. The Ctenophoran characters of certain Polyclad Turbellaria.
1882. Syd. Soc. Lex., Ctenophore.
1884. trans. Claus’ Zool., I. 211. The Ctenophor type has fundamentally the form of a sphere.
1889. Athenæum, 27 July, 133/2. No figures are given of alcyonarians, ctenophores, [or of] any echinoderm save the starfish.
1883. E. Ingersoll, in Century Mag., Sept., 734/1. Embryological observations on the ctenophoric jelly-fishes.
