A 'planula' is the free-swimming, flattened,
ciliated,
bilaterally symmetric larva of a
jellyfish, a
hydrozoan
cnidarian, or a
ctenophore. Depending on the species, the planula either metamorphosises into a miniature version of the adult form (such as some jellyfish and all ctenophores), or navigates through the water until it reaches a hard substrate (some may prefer specific substrates) where it anchors and grows into a
polyp. Planulae of
Medusozoa have no mouth or digestive tract and are unable to feed themselves, while those of
Anthozoa can feed.