Dendrochirotida

Cucumaria miniata

The Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. The animals live in all oceans of the world, often in coral reefs, but also in the polar oceans and in temperate zones. Psolus phantapus occurs in the North Sea and also reached the Kattegat, the distribution area of Thyonidium pellucigum extends into the western Baltic Sea. The sea apples ( Pseudocolochirus ), which are occasionally offered for entertainment in Saltwater Aquariums in stores are known.

Features

The most striking feature of the Dendrochirotida are the 10 to 30 long, tree -like branched oral tentacles that they stretch out to catch plankton and detritus into the open water. In German they are also called bush tentacle sea cucumbers. The tentacles are invaginated. There are species with and without creeping. Water lungs are present, Statozysten not. The gonads are tufted. The largest Dendrochirotida art is Cucumaria frondosa, which can reach a length of 60 centimeters.

Most species live in the ground buried or hidden under rocks and reveal their existence only by the Waaser outstretched tentacles.

System

The order Dendrochirotida belongs to the subclass Dendrochirotacea. It differs from the Dactylochirotida, the second order of Dendrochirotacea, by the shape of the oral tentacles and the sclerites. In the order there are 90 genera and 555 species.

• Order Dendrochirotida pit, 1840 Family Cucumariidae Ludwig, 1894
• Family Paracucumidae
• Family Phyllophoridae Östergren, 1907
• Family Placothuriidae
• Family Psolidae Perrier, 1902
• Family Sclerodactylidae panning, 1902