nounplural noun ctenidia/tɪˈnɪdɪə/

• A comblike structure, especially a respiratory organ or gill in a mollusc, consisting of an axis with a row of projecting filaments.

  ‘Meanwhile, Pelseneer had come up with a classification of bivalves based on the structure of the ctenidia.’

  More example sentences

  • ‘Chaetoderms lack pedal grooves, have ctenidia paired in a small posterior mantle cavity, have a cuticular shield around the mouth and the stomach and digestive glands are separate.’
  • ‘Polyplacophorans have six to 88 pairs of bipectinate ctenidia, the number of which is typically not species specific, increasing as the individual grows.’
  • ‘All cephalopods have one pair of unciliated ctenidia within the mantle cavity, with the exception of Nautilus, which has two pairs of ctenidia.’
  • ‘No ctenidia are present, and gas exchange is through the mantle surface.’