Eupentacta quinquesemita

Eupentacta quinquesemita
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Animalia
Phylum:	Echinodermata
Class:	Holothuroidea
Order:	Dendrochirotida
Family:	Sclerodactylidae
Genus:	Eupentacta
Species:	E. quinquesemita
Binomial name
	Eupentacta quinquesemita; (Selenka, 1867)
Synonyms
	Cucumaria chronhjelmi Théel, 1886 ; Cucumaria quinquesemita Selenka, 1867 ; Eupentacta chronhjelmi (Théel, 1886) ;

Last updated December 17, 2020

Eupentacta quinquesemita is a species of sea cucumber, a marine invertebrate with an elongated body, a leathery skin and tentacles surrounding the mouth. It is commonly known as the stiff-footed sea cucumber or white sea cucumber,^[2] and occurs on rocky coasts in the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

Description

Eupentacta quinquesemita can grow to a length of up to 8 cm (3 in). The tube feet are arranged in four longitudinal rows; they are non-retractable and give the animal a spiny appearance. The skin between the tube feet is smooth, but both body wall and tube feet contain calcareous ossicles that make them stiff. The mouth is surrounded by ten branched feeding tentacles, the two lowest ones being smaller than the rest. The general body colour is white, the tentacles (often the only parts of the animal that are visible) being creamy-white, often with yellowish or pinkish bases. Bits of shell or other fragments often adhere to the tube feet.^[3]^[2]

Distribution and habitat

E. quinquesemita is found in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, its range extending from Alaska to California.^[4] It is found on rocky shores in low intertidal and shallow subtidal zones, where it tends to hide itself in crevices and under boulders. It is common among harbour installations, pilings and floats, especially where there is vigorous water movement. Larvae often settle in locations with strong currents among hydroids and algae.^[3]

Ecology

A deposit and suspension feeder, E. quinquesemita uses its feeding tentacles to push material into its mouth, extracting the edible material and eliminating the unwanted debris. The larvae of a parasitic snail, Thyonicola americana , enter in this way and develop into adults which invade the viscera while maintaining a connection to the gut lumen to release offspring. The sea cucumber is preyed on by several species of starfish, such as Solaster stimpsoni , Pycnopodia helianthoides and Leptasterias hexactis , and fish such as the kelp greenling (Hexagrammos decagrammus).^[3]

This sea cucumber exhibits a seasonal pattern of evisceration, expelling its guts in the autumn and growing a new set in the spring, resulting in a high proportion of T. americana parasites not completing their life cycle, but not all individuals do this.^[5] Breeding takes place between March and May, females liberating large, yolky eggs into the sea where they are fertilised by sperm produced by the males. The larvae are well-ciliated but do not feed, developing their calcareous armour in about a fortnight before settling.^[3]

Related Research Articles

An echinoderm is any member of the phylum Echinodermata of marine animals. The adults are recognizable by their radial symmetry, and include starfish, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes, after the chordates. Echinoderms are also the largest phylum that has no freshwater or terrestrial (land-based) representatives.

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. Sea cucumbers are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of holothurian species worldwide is about 1,717 with the greatest number being in the Asia Pacific region. Many of these are gathered for human consumption and some species are cultivated in aquaculture systems. The harvested product is variously referred to as trepang, namako, bêche-de-mer or balate. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter after which bacteria can continue the degradation process.

Sea apple is a common name for the colorful and somewhat round sea cucumbers of the genera Pseudocolochirus, found in Indo-Pacific waters. Sea apples are filter feeders with tentacles, ovate bodies, and tube-like feet. As with many other holothurians, they can release their internal organs or a toxin into the water when stressed.

Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include Thyonella and Cucumaria.

Evisceration is a method of autotomy involving the ejection of internal organs used by animals as a defensive strategy. Sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) eject parts of the gut in order to scare and defend against potential predators such as crabs and fish. The organs are regenerated in a few days by cells in the interior of the sea cucumber.

The orange-footed sea cucumber is the largest sea cucumber in New England, United States. It is one of the most abundant and widespread species of holothurians within the North Atlantic Ocean and the Barents Sea (Russia), being most abundant along the eastern coast of North America.

Cucumaria miniata is commonly known as the orange sea cucumber or red sea cucumber due to its striking color. This northeast Pacific species is often found wedged in between rocks or crevices at the coast or on docks and can generally be identified by its orange bushy tentacles protruding above the substrate.

Holothuria forskali, the black sea cucumber or cotton-spinner, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is found at shallow depths in the eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It was placed in the subgenus Panningothuria by Rowe in 1969 and is the typetaxon of the subgenus.

Sclerodactylidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine invertebrates with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles.

Phyllophoridae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine invertebrates with elongated bodies, leathery skins and feeding tentacles.

Sclerodactyla briareus, commonly known as the hairy sea cucumber, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Sclerodactylidae. It is found in shallow waters in the west Atlantic Ocean.

Holothuria spinifera, the brown sandfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is placed in the subgenus Theelothuria, making its full name Holothuria (Theelothuria) spinifera. In India it is known as "cheena attai" or "raja attai". It lives in tropical regions of the west Indo-Pacific Ocean at depths ranging from 32 to 60 metres. It is fished commercially to produce "beche-de-mer".

Euapta lappa, the beaded sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumbers in the family Synaptidae in the phylum Echinodermata. It is found on coral reefs in the Caribbean region.

Holothuria leucospilota, commonly known as the black sea cucumber/ Black tarzan, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Holothuriidae. It has been placed in the subgenus Mertensiothuria making its full scientific name Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota. It is the type species of the subgenus and is found on the seabed in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific.

Holothuria edulis, commonly known as the edible sea cucumber or the pink and black sea cucumber, is a species of echinoderm in the family Holothuriidae. It was placed in the subgenus Halodeima by Pearson in 1914, making its full scientific name Holothuria (Halodeima) edulis. It is found in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean.

Synaptula recta, sometimes known as the gut-like sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Synaptidae in the phylum Echinodermata. It occurs in shallow water in the tropical Indo-Pacific region.

Pawsonia saxicola, the sea gherkin, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Cucumariidae. It is found in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea.

Thyone fusus is a species of sea cucumber in the family Phyllophoridae. It is found on the seabed in the northeastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. It is a suspension feeder and catches food particles floating past with its branching feeding tentacles.

Holothuria grisea, the gray sea cucumber, is a mid-sized coastal species of sea cucumber found in shallow tropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Florida to Southern Brazil and West Africa. They have a variety in color and can range from red to more yellowish with brown markings. They are also a food source for local and international markets with the majority of harvesting taking place in Brazil. This species is currently not over-fished and is not endangered or threatened.

Actinopyga agassizii, commonly known as five-toothed sea cucumber or West Indian sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It was first described by German zoologist Emil Selenka in 1867. It is native to the Western Atlantic region, including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, and is harvested for food.

References

1 2 Paulay, Gustav (2010). "Eupentacta quinquesemita (Selenka, 1867)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 20 January 2018.
1 2 Williams, Kelly (2002). "Eupentacta quinquesemita (Selenka, 1867)". Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Walla Walla University. Retrieved 21 January 2018.
1 2 3 4 "Eupentacta quinquesemita". The Race Rocks Taxonomy. 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
↑ "Stiff-footed sea cucumber Eupentacta quinquesemita". INaturalist. Retrieved 20 January 2018.
↑ Byrne, Maria (1985). "The life history of the gastropod Thyonicola americana Tikasingh, endoparasitic in a seasonally eviscerating holothurian host" (PDF). Ophelia. 24 (2): 91–101. doi:10.1080/00785236.1985.10426622.

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[WoRMS-1] 1 2 Paulay, Gustav (2010). "Eupentacta quinquesemita (Selenka, 1867)". WoRMS. World Register of Marine Species . Retrieved 20 January 2018.

[williams-2] 1 2 Williams, Kelly (2002). "Eupentacta quinquesemita (Selenka, 1867)". Invertebrates of the Salish Sea. Walla Walla University. Retrieved 21 January 2018.

[RaceRocks-3] 1 2 3 4 "Eupentacta quinquesemita". The Race Rocks Taxonomy. 2002. Retrieved 20 January 2018.

[INaturalist-4] "Stiff-footed sea cucumber Eupentacta quinquesemita". INaturalist. Retrieved 20 January 2018.

[Byrne-5] Byrne, Maria (1985). "The life history of the gastropod Thyonicola americana Tikasingh, endoparasitic in a seasonally eviscerating holothurian host" (PDF). Ophelia. 24 (2): 91–101. doi:10.1080/00785236.1985.10426622.

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