Bizarre jelly video

[Sarah]

If you layered several up into a pile one on top of the other, would it be a Mons Veneris?

[thalassamania]

A Salp is
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Chordata
Subphylum: Urochordata
Class: Thaliacea
Order: Salpida
Family: Salpidae

Whilst a Comb Jelly is:
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Ctenophora

Salps and Comb Jellys are about as closely related as people and spiders. So in answer to your question, no ... it does not qualify as a salp.

[Sarah]

All these animals are amazing, I have never seen anything other than a ctenophore, so I guess I would have mistakenly wondered if a salp was that same animal as in the video, so thanks for the taxonomy lesson Thal!

On that note, I have seen photos of salps, and they look like a grouping of individual duplicate animals. Do they congregate from individual animals or does a solitary animal replicate themselves into a chain?

I can't really see from the video if the veneris is a grouping or an individual animal. So what is the difference between a salp and a veneris? And saying: "The spelling" doesn't count!

[seasnake]

Hey *trying to be a part of the conversation* I took a picture of a comb jelly! It was the biggest one I ever saw, probably 7 or 8 inches . . .
There's going to be jokes on this, isn't there?

[lottie]

There's going to be jokes on this, isn't there?

Sorry SeaSnake, but I can't think of anything joke-related

[thalassamania]

So what is the difference between a salp and a veneris? And saying: "The spelling" doesn't count!

Pelagic Tunicates (salps are part of this group)

Ctenophores (Also know as Comb Jellies, includes Cestum verneris)

Note: The genus (e.g. Cestum) is capitalized and after the first use in a document is often abbreviated with just the first letter "C." The species name is always lower case (e.g. verneris). When the genus is known, and the exact species is not, this is indicated by the use of "sp." in place of the unknown species name, (e.g., Cestum sp.) End of today's taxonomy lesson.

[The Publisher]

Thal, I have seen the two scientific names of crustacea with the 2nd name in lower case and I was never sure of whether the 2nd name was supposed to be upper or lower, so thanks for setting the record straight.

Same goes for the sp.....I take it that is just an abbreviation for species?

[thalassamania]

Thal, I have seen the two scientific names of crustacea with the 2nd name in lower case and I was never sure of whether the 2nd name was supposed to be upper or lower, so thanks for setting the record straight.

Same goes for the sp.....I take it that is just an abbreviation for species?

Yes sp.=species. The specific name (2nd name) should ALWAYS be lower case, this is one of the most common layman mistakes. Now y'all know better.

We'll work on the difference between people and spiders next week.

[Delta_v18]

Hi Dave.

Just some additional info.

First name (Genus), first letter capitalized, Second name (species), first letter lowercase. A third name may be added, (sub-species) depending on the taxonomist/discoverer, first letter also lower case. Names are usually italicized, e.g., Chelonia mydas or if the graphical interface doesn't allow it, it is underlined separately, e.g., Chelonia mydas

My basic biology professor in my freshman year back in university was so strict about this, and including the spelling of sci names... ah memories...

She should have seen the effects of that training when I write or evaluate reports..