dcsimg
Creatures » » Animal » » Echinoderms » » Sea Cucumbers » » Sclerodactylidae »

Euthyonidiella arenicola (Pawson & Miller 1992)

Size

provided by EOL authors
“This is a moderate-sized sea cucumber that exceeds 30 cm (12 in) in length when expanded; contracted animals are usually less than 10 cm (4 in) long. The body is approximately cylindrical, more or less V-shaped, and tapers gently toward the anterior and posterior ends. The body wall is thin and soft, becoming firmer and thicker in contracted individuals. The small, soft tube feet are scattered over most of the body, tending to form double rows in the radii; the double rows are most evident on the introvert. There are 20 tentacles; an outer ring of five large pairs alternate with five small pairs forming an inner ring. The body wall ossicles are squarish tables with scalloped margins and four or more, commonly eight, perforations. The spire is reduced to form four discrete short, bluntly pointed, vertical projections. The introvert contains tables and rosettes. The color in life is uniform to variegated light reddish brown” (Hendler, Miller, Pawson, Kier 273).

Habitat

provided by EOL authors
“Offshore soft sediments, such as unconsolidated sand and shell hash.” (Hendler, Miller, Pawson, Kier 274)

Distribution

provided by EOL authors
“Georgia and eastern Florida. Depth: 6-158 m (6-514 ft)” (Hendler, Miller, Pawson, Kier 274)

Behavior

provided by EOL authors
“Individuals were observed in situ at depths of 9-15 m off Fort Pierce, Florida, in coarse, ripple-marked sediment. Other echinoderms in this habitat include the sand dollar Encope aberrans and burrowing amphiurid brittle stars. Their feeding tentacles are sometimes extended into the water column; however, most individuals remain hidden beneath the ripple crests. When disturbed, they quickly withdraw their tentacles and introvert, as deep as 10 cm below the sediment surface. When tightly grasped and roughly pulled from the sediment by hand, their bodies are quite long (more than 30 cm) and contorted. Within 10-15 seconds after removal from the sediment, they contract into a uniform U-shape, less than 10 cm in length, and resemble individuals gently excavated from below. Evidently, "ballooning" the body is a defensive mechanism that serves to obstruct removal from the sediment (Miller and Hendler, previously unpublished). Specimens have most commonly been collected by dredge, a process that results in a characteristic pattern of damage. The dredged individuals separate (autotomize) into two pieces, the main body from just behind the introvert to the anus and a much shorter piece consisting of the introvert, tentacles, calcareous ring, and associated structures” (Hendler, Miller, Pawson, Kier 274)