Ctenophores can show up in large numbers in HK waters 櫛水母可在香港水域大量出現
Ctenophores have rows of cilia (tiny hair-like structures) that form stacks of combs, leading to one of their common names “comb jellies”. They can be found throughout the world’s oceans, though their small size (mm to cm size) and frequently transparent and colorless appearance can make them difficult to spot. There are thought to be 100-150 species of ctenophores.
These are not jellyfish, as they are in a completely different phylum, but are sometimes lumped together as “gelatinous plankton”. Ctenphores lack the stinging cells that make most people nervous about encountering jellyfish. Most species instead have sticky cells on a pair of long tentacles to catch zooplankton. Many species of ctenophores are hermaphrodites, able to produce sperm and eggs within a single individual. They can produce these constantly as long as there is enough food to sustain production, leading to some species to be successful invasives.
Even though there are fewer people in the water now, keep an eye out for ctenophores! They can be a good challenge to find. Happy Holidays!
櫛水母有排列成縱行的櫛板（小型毛髮狀的結構），組成纖毛帶，所以櫛水母在英文中亦被稱作comb jellies。牠們會在全世界的海域出沒，不過通常顏色透明、身型細小（身長小至以毫米或厘米計算），不容易被發現。櫛水母目前被認為有100至150個品種。
櫛水母其實並不屬於水母的一種，因為它其實屬於完全不同的一門品種，但有時也會粗糙歸類為凝膠狀浮游動物。人們很多時候擔心碰見水母時會被蟄傷，但櫛水並沒有這種刺細胞。大多數品種櫛水母的一對長觸手上有帶黏性的細胞，可捕捉浮游生物。很多品種的櫛水母是雌雄同體的，可以自體生產精子和卵子。只要有足夠的食物，繁殖的過程就可以持續下去，所以某些櫛水母的品種會是很強的侵入者。
雖然現在進行水上運動的人減少了，但也請 大家繼續留意櫛水母，尋找牠們也很有挑戰性。祝大家節日快樂！
