Pelagothuriidae

Pelagothuriidae
Enypniastes sp.
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Subclass: Aspidochirotacea
Order: Elasipodida
Family: Pelagothuriidae
Ludwig, 1893
Genera

(See Text)

Pelagothuriidae is a family of deep-sea swimming sea cucumbers. They are somewhat unusual in appearance, in comparison with other sea cucumbers, having numerous appendages, including conical papillae and leaf-like tentacles. Most of them are benthopelagic, which means that they are able to swim for a time from the bottom : the species Pelagothuria natatrix is the only true pelagic holothurian (and echinoderm, to date) ; it looks like a jellyfish. Most members of the order inhabit deep-sea environments, like Enypniastes.[1]

Classification

Family: Pelagothuriidae

The only true pelagic echinoderm known to date : Pelagothuria natatrix (here close to the Galapagos).


References

Wikispecies has information related to: Pelagothuriidae
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Notes

This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the 10/31/2014. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.