| Venus girdle | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Photographed in Hawaii | |
Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Ctenophora |
| Class: | Tentaculata |
| Order: | Cestida |
| Family: | Cestidae |
| Genus: | Cestum Lesueur, 1813 |
| Species: | C. veneris |
| Binomial name | |
| Cestum veneris Lesueur, 1813 | |
The Venus girdle (Cestum veneris) is a comb jelly in the family Cestidae. It is the only member of its genus, Cestum, [1] and is also the largest of all known ctenophores.
Venus girdles resemble transparent ribbons with iridescent edges. They may grow up to a metre in total length. Canals run the length of the ribbon in which bioluminescence activates when disturbed. [2]
This species is pelagic and is found in tropical and subtropical oceans worldwide in midwater. [2]
These animals swim horizontally using muscular contractions as well as the beating of the comb rows. The oral edge leads. They eat small crustaceans. [2]
