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 ten branching tentacles of which the lowest two are often smaller than the others. They are filter feeders, using their tentacles to catch micro-organisms and pass them to their mouth. They are seldom found on coral reefs but mostly live in deep water on sand and gravel substrates. Certain

genera Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nomenclat ...

including the

sea apple 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 other ho ...

s in the genera ''

Paracucumaria Cucumariidae is a Family (biology), family of Holothuroidea, 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-size ...

'' and ''

Pseudocolochirus 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 ...

'', contain toxic

holothurin The holothurins are a group of toxins originally isolated from the sea cucumber '' Actinopyga agassizii''. They are contained within clusters of sticky threads called Cuvierian tubules which are expelled from the sea cucumber as a mode of sel ...

and holotoxin and release it into the water when damaged or killed. Spawning may also be accompanied by release of these toxins. For this reason, although they are interesting and attractive to keep in aquaria, it is inadvisable to keep them in a tank with other reef species.

Taxonomy

A number of species that were placed in the family Phyllophoridae by Thander in 1989 and 1990 are now included in Cucumariidae. The following genera are accepted in the family Cucumariidae: *'' Abyssocucumis'' Heding, 1942 *'' Actinocucumis'' Ludwig, 1875 *'' Amphicyclus'' Bell, 1884 *'' Anaperus'' Troschel, 1846 *'' Apseudocnus'' Levin, 2006 *'' Apsolidium'' O'Loughlin & O' Hara, 1992 *''

Aslia ''Aslia'' is a genus of echinoderms belonging to the 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 fa ...

'' Rowe, 1970 *'' Athyonidium'' Deichmann, 1941 *'' Australocnus'' O'Loughlin & Alcock, 2000 *'' Benthophyllophorus'' Deichmann, 1954 *'' Calcamariina'' O'Loughlin in O'Loughlin et al., 2015 *'' Cercodemas'' Selenka, 1867 *'' Cherbocnus'' Thandar in Thandar & Mjobo, 2014 *'' Cladodactyla'' Brandt, 1835 *''

Colochirus ''Colochirus'' is a genus of sea cucumbers in the family Cucumariidae. Species The World Register of Marine Species lists the following species: *'' Colochirus crassus'' Ekman, 1918 *'' Colochirus cylindricus'' Semper, 1867 *'' Colochirus pusill ...

'' Troschel, 1846 *'' Cucamba'' O'Loughlin, 2009 *''

Cucumaria ''Cucumaria'' is a genus of sea cucumbers. Species The following species are recognised in the genus ''Cucumaria''. *''Cucumaria adela'' Clark, 1946 *''Cucumaria anivaensis'' Levin, 2004 *'' Cucumaria arcuata'' (Hérouard, 1921) *''Cucumaria com ...

'' Blainville, 1830 *'' Cucusquama'' O'Loughlin in O'Loughlin, Tavancheh & Harding, 2016 *'' Cucuvitrum'' O'Loughlin & O' Hara, 1992 *'' Echinopsolus'' Gutt, 1990 *'' Ekmania'' Hansen & McKenzie, 1991 *'' Euthyonacta'' Deichmann, 1954 *'' Hemiocnus'' Mjobo & Thandar, 2016 *'' Hemioedema'' Hérouard, 1929 *'' Heterocucumis'' Panning, 1949 *'' Incubocnus'' Thandar & Vinola, 2017 *'' Lanceophora'' Thandar, Zettler & Arumugam, 2010 *'' Leptopentacta'' H.L. Clark, 1938 *'' Loisettea'' Rowe & Pawson, 1985 *'' Mensamaria'' H.L. Clark, 1946 *'' Neoamphicyclus'' Hickman, 1962 *'' Neocucumella'' Pawson, 1962 *'' Neocucumis'' Deichmann, 1944 *'' Ocnus'' Forbes & Goodsir, in Forbes, 1841 *'' Orbithyone'' Clark, 1938 *'' Panningia'' Cherbonnier, 1958 *'' Paracolochirus'' Pawson, Pawson & King, 2010 *''

'' Panning, 1949 *'' Paraleptopentacta'' Mezali, Thandar & Khodja, 2020 *'' Parathyonacta'' Caso, 1984 *'' Parathyone'' Deichmann, 1957 *'' Parathyonidium'' Heding in Heding & Panning, 1954 *'' Patallus'' Selenka, 1868 *'' Pawsonellus'' Thandar, 1986 *'' Pawsonia'' Rowe, 1970 *'' Pentacta'' Goldfuss, 1820 *'' Pentactella'' Verrill, 1876 *'' Pentocnus'' O'Loughlin & O'Hara, 1992 *'' Plesiocolochirus'' Cherbonnier, 1946 *'' Pseudoaslia'' Thandar, 1991 *'' Pseudocnella'' Thandar, 1987 *'' Pseudocnus'' Panning, 1949 *''

'' Pearson, 1910 *'' Pseudopsolus'' Ludwig, 1898 *'' Pseudrotasfer'' Bohn, 2007 *'' Psolicrux'' O'Loughlin, 2002 *'' Psolicucumis'' Heding, 1934 *'' Psolidiella'' Mortensen, 1926 *'' Psolidocnus'' O'Loughlin & Alcock, 2000 *'' Roweia'' Thandar, 1985 *'' Squamocnus'' O'Loughlin & O'Hara, 1992 *'' Staurocucumis'' Ekman, 1927 *'' Staurothyone'' H.L. Clark, 1938 *'' Stereoderma'' Ayres, 1851 *'' Thyonella'' Verrill, 1872 *'' Thyonidium'' Düben & Koren, 1846 *'' Trachasina'' Thandar *'' Trachycucumis'' Thandar & Moodley, 2003 *'' Trachythyone'' Studer, 1876 File:Aslia lefevrii - Carantec.jpg, '' Aslia lefevrii'' File: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 ...

'' File:Cucumaria big.jpg, ''

Cucumaria miniata ''Cucumaria miniata'' is a species of sea cucumber. It is commonly known as the orange sea cucumber or red sea cucumber due to its striking color. This northeast Pacific species is often found wedged in between rocks or crevices at the coast or ...

'' File:Ocnus planci (Brandt, 1835) .jpg, '' Ocnus planci'' File:Calliostoma zizyphinum, Pawsonia saxicola - Carantec.jpg, '' Pawsonia saxicola''

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q2492981 Echinoderm families