Elasipodida

The pelagic sea cucumber Enypniastes sp. in the Gulf of Mexico

The Elasipodida are an order of sea cucumbers. The animals live in all oceans of the world, some in relatively shallow water, from a depth of 60 meters, but especially in the deep sea, even in deep-sea trenches to a depth of 10,000 meters.

Features

The body of the Elasipodida deviates greatly from the physique other sea cucumbers. He is usually flattened, the mouth with its tentacles located on the bottom. The 10 to 20 mouth tentacles have finger-like projections or shield-shaped. Ambulacralfüßchen absent or are present in low numbers on the sides of creeping or in the middle of the bottom. The end plates of the Ambulacralfüßchen almost always missing. Water lungs are missing, the rectum has a blind tube, which is directed forward.

Pelagic forms often resemble jellyfish, have a cutaneous rim along the longitudinal axis of the body or a collar-like hem at front body, enabling them to swim by undulating movements. The animals are usually reddish or purple. The types of Pelagothuriidae family have no sclerites, their skin is watery and gelatinous.

The Elasipodida thought to feed primarily on the bottom substrate, even in the stomach of pelagic species were found next to ground-dwelling planktonic foraminifera.

System

In the order there are five families, 24 genera and 141 species.

• Order Elasipodida Family Deimatidae
• Family Elpidiidae
• Family Laetmogonidae
• Family Pelagothuriidae
• Family Psychropotidae