Reproductive success of inbred strain MV31 of the ctenophore in a self-sustaining inland laboratory culture system.

Ctenophores are an attractive phylogenetic lineage for studying animal evolution due to their early divergence from other metazoans. Among Ctenophora, is a model system for developmental, cellular, molecular genetic, and evolutionary studies. Until recently, many of these studies were conducted on wild-caught animals, limiting access to researchers on the coast. Here we present significant advancements towards culturing in laboratories without coastal access, enabling its wider use as an experimental and genetic model system. We detail updated feeding regimens that take advantage of co-culturing rotifers with copepods, and quantify the reproductive output of our lab strain on this diet. Our updated feeding regimen maintains reproductive fitness comparable to wild-caught individuals. Importantly, we have eliminated the logistical complexities and costs of regularly feeding live larval fish to . Our updated protocols make it feasible to maintain continuous ctenophore cultures independent of access to both coastal populations of wild and larval fish culturing facilities.