Question

Larva of jellyfish (Aurelia) is called as
A) Planula
B) Polyp
C) Medusa
D) Blastula

Answer 1

Jellyfish belongs to Cnidarians which is a large group of mammals. It is found in the ocean water. It is seen in all shapes and sizes. Jellyfish are invertebrates that do not have a backbone.

Complete answer:
Jellyfish has complex life cycle which consists of several stages which includes alternating of generations of medusa and polyps.The phases of lifecycle of Aurelia are:

The polyp phase when they are attached to the coastal reefs. The asexual reproduction takes place in the polyp stage. Polyp produces ephyra by budding.
The medusa phase when they are free floating. The medusa is the reproductive stage in which the eggs are fertilised internally which develops into free-swimming larvae called the planula. Sexual reproduction takes place in the medusa phase.
Planula is a free swimming or crawling larva of Cnidarians. The body of planula is cylindrical or egg shaped which has many cilia which is used for locomotion.
Blastula- It is the stage in early embryonic development. It is a ball of cells.

Thus the correct answer is (A). Larva of jellyfish (Aurelia) is called Planula.

Note: The common jellyfish can be easily differentiated by the presence of four horseshoe-shaped gonads which is easily visible through its translucent body. The medusa stage of all the species of jellyfish is similar. It cannot be identified without genetic sampling.