''Elpidia'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

of deep-sea

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 are characterised by their rod-shaped spicules which each have two pairs of obliquely-placed horizontal arms and two vertical apophyses. There is a high degree of

endemism Endemism is the state of a species being found in a single defined geographic location, such as an island, state, nation, country or other defined zone; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsew ...

in this genus with different species occupying different deep sea basins or regions.

Species

The following species are recognised in the genus ''Elpidia'': *'' Elpidia adenensis'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia antarctica'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia atakama'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia belyaevi'' Rogacheva, 2007 *'' Elpidia birsteini'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia chilensis'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia decapoda'' Belyaev, 1975 *'' Elpidia echinata'' (R. Perrier, 1896) *''

Elpidia glacialis ''Elpidia glacialis'' is a species of sea cucumber in the family Elpidiidae. It is found at abyssal depths in the Arctic Ocean, the Barents Sea, the Kara Sea and the north Atlantic Ocean. It was first described in 1876 by the Swedish zoologist J ...

'' Théel, 1876 *'' Elpidia gracilis'' Belyaev, 1975 *'' Elpidia heckeri'' Baranova, 1989 *'' Elpidia javanica'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia kermadecensis'' Hansen, 1956 *'' Elpidia kurilensis'' Baranova & Belyaev in Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia lata'' Belyaev, 1975 *'' Elpidia longicirrata'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia minutissima'' Belyaev, 1971 *'' Elpidia ninae'' Belyaev, 1975 *'' Elpidia solomonensis'' Hansen, 1956 *'' Elpidia soyoae'' Ogawa, Morita & Fujita, 2020 *'' Elpidia sundensis'' Hansen, 1956 *'' Elpidia theeli'' Hansen, 1956 *'' Elpidia uschakovi'' Belyaev, 1971

References

Holothuroidea genera Elpidiidae Taxa named by Johan Hjalmar Théel {{Holothuroidea-stub