SEA WALNUT

any member of a common genus (Mnemiopsis) of gelatinous, planktonic marine invertebrates of the class Tentaculata (phylum Ctenophora). The sea walnut resembles the sea gooseberry morphologically, but as in many ctenophores the body is prolonged into eight lobes. Full-grown individuals may be as long as 15 cm (6 inches). They lead a wholly planktonic existence and are found in the open seas as well as in coastal waters. There is probably no larger animal that is more numerous. Sea walnuts sometimes form dense swarms. When they do so at night, the bluish white luminescence produced by comblike organs on the sides of their bodies can colour the sea. They are most common in warm areas but also occur in the higher latitudes. They are often cast up on the shores of the eastern coast of the United States, where the name sea walnut originated. These jellyfish-like creatures are harmless to humans.