Dendrochirotida are an order of
sea cucumber
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 holothuria ...
s. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are
suspension feeder
Filter feeders are a sub-group of suspension feeding animals that feed by straining suspended matter and food particles from water, typically by passing the water over a specialized filtering structure. Some animals that use this method of feedin ...
s. Examples include ''
Thyonella'' and ''
Cucumaria''.
Characteristics
Holothurians in this order are characterised by ten to thirty much branched tentacles which are sometimes digitate. They also have ring structures composed of ten calcareous plates circling the pharynx. They have both retractor and introvert muscles which means they can retract the tentacles into the mouth when not feeding. The body wall is either firm with large ossicles or of a soft consistency with few ossicles. In some genera the animals attach themselves to hard surfaces but in others they burrow into soft sediments. Prey is captured by the sticky tentacles and transferred to the mouth. The larvae are lecithotrophic, not feeding on
plankton
Plankton are the diverse collection of organisms found in Hydrosphere, water (or atmosphere, air) that are unable to propel themselves against a Ocean current, current (or wind). The individual organisms constituting plankton are called plankt ...
but surviving only on materials already present in the eggs until they settle and become juveniles.
Marine Species Identification Portal
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Taxonomy
Order: Dendrochirotida
* family Cucumariidae
Cucumariidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine animals with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles that are found on the sea bed.
Description
Members of the family Cucumariidae are small to medium-sized sea cucumbers, characterised by ...
Ludwig, 1894
* family Cucumellidae
''Cucumella'' is a genus of sea cucumbers belonging to the monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies ...
Thandar & Arumugam, 2011
* family Heterothyonidae
Heterothyonidae is a family of sea cucumbers belonging to the order Dendrochirotida
Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include '' Thyonella'' and ''C ...
Pawson, 1970
* family † Monilipsolidae Smith & Gallemí, 1991
* family Paracucumidae
Paracucumidae is a family of sea cucumbers belonging to the order Dendrochirotida
Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include '' Thyonella'' and ''Cucu ...
Pawson & Fell, 1965
* family Phyllophoridae Östergren, 1907
* family Placothuriidae
''Placothuria'' is a genus of sea cucumbers belonging to the monotypic family Placothuriidae.
The species of this genus are found in Australia and New Zealand.
Species:
*''Placothuria huttoni''
*''Placothuria molpadioides''
*''Placothuria squ ...
Pawson & Fell, 1965
* family Psolidae
Psolidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine animals with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles that are found on the sea bed.
Description
Members of the family Psolidae are small and inconspicuous sea cucumbers found in crevices and u ...
Burmeister, 1837
* family Rhopalodinidae
Rhopalodinidae is a family of sea cucumbers belonging to the order Dendrochirotida
Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include '' Thyonella'' and ''Cuc ...
Théel, 1886
* family Sclerodactylidae
Sclerodactylidae is a family of sea cucumbers
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 t ...
Panning, 1949
* family Vaneyellidae
Vaneyellidae is a family of sea cucumbers belonging to the order Dendrochirotida
Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include '' Thyonella'' and ''Cucum ...
Pawson & Fell, 1965
* family Ypsilothuriidae
Ypsilothuriidae is a family of sea cucumbers belonging to the order Dendrochirotida
Dendrochirotida are an order of sea cucumbers. Members of this order have branched tentacles and are suspension feeders. Examples include '' Thyonella'' and ''Cu ...
Heding, 1942
Image:Cucumaria big.jpg, '' Cucumaria miniata'', a Cucumariidae
Cucumariidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine animals with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles that are found on the sea bed.
Description
Members of the family Cucumariidae are small to medium-sized sea cucumbers, characterised by ...
Image:Golden sea cucumber at Castle Rocks P7260867.JPG, '' Thyone aurea'', a Phyllophoridae
Image:Psolus fabricii.jpg, ''Psolus fabricii
''Psolus'' is a genus of sea cucumbers in the family Psolidae, marine animals with long bodies, leathery skins and tentacles, that inhabit the sea bed.
Species
The following species are recognised in the genus ''Psolus'':
*'' Psolus agulhasicu ...
'', a Psolidae
Psolidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine animals with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles that are found on the sea bed.
Description
Members of the family Psolidae are small and inconspicuous sea cucumbers found in crevices and u ...
Image:Eupentacta quinquesemita, Explored. Stiff-footed Sea Cucumber.jpg, ''Eupentacta quinquesemita
''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, and occurs ...
'', a Sclerodactylidae
Sclerodactylidae is a family of sea cucumbers
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 t ...
Image:Colochirus robustus1.jpg, ''Colochirus robustus
''Colochirus robustus'', commonly known as the robust sea cucumber or the yellow sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Cucumariidae. It is found in shallow seas in tropical parts of the central Indo-Pacific region. ''C. robus ...
''
Image:Mauve and red-chested sea cucumbers at Partridge Point P7190598.JPG, '' Pseudocnella insolens'' (red) and '' Pentacta doliolum'' (dark)
Image:Paracucumaria tricolor 2.jpg, ''Pseudocolochirus violaceus
Sea apple is the common name for the colorful and somewhat round sea cucumbers of the genus ''Pseudocolochirus'', found in Indo-Pacific waters. Sea apples are filter feeders with tentacles, ovate bodies, and tube-like feet. As with many othe ...
''
Image:Ocnus planci (Brandt, 1835) .jpg, '' Cucumaria planci''
References
Echinoderm orders
{{Holothuroidea-stub