''Synaptula'' is a genus 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, in the family
Synaptidae
Synaptidae is a family of sea cucumbers that have no tube feet, tentacle ampullae, retractor muscles, respiratory trees, or cuvierian tubules. They also lack radial canals of the water-vascular system, with only the circumoral ring present.
S ...
.
This genus contains many species, most of them whitish, often associated with sponges. However, they are extremely difficult to identify from sight, and many tropical Indo-Pacific are referred to as ''
Synaptula lamperti
''Synaptula lamperti'' is a species of sea cucumber in the family Synaptidae in the phylum Echinodermata, found on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. The echinoderms are marine invertebrates and include the sea urchins, starfish and sea cucu ...
'', which is often the only species named by touristic guides.
List of species
The genus contains the following species:
*''
Synaptula alba''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula albolineata''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula ater''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula bandae''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula denticulata''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula hydriformis''
(Lesueur, 1824)
*''
Synaptula indivisa''
(Semper, 1867)
*''
Synaptula jolensis''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula lactea''
(Sluiter, 1887)
*''
Synaptula lamperti
''Synaptula lamperti'' is a species of sea cucumber in the family Synaptidae in the phylum Echinodermata, found on coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region. The echinoderms are marine invertebrates and include the sea urchins, starfish and sea cucu ...
''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula macra''
(H. L. Clark, 1938)
*''
Synaptula maculata''
(Sluiter, 1887)
*''
Synaptula madreporica''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula media''
Cherbonnier & Féral, 1984
*''
Synaptula minima''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula mortensenii''
Heding, 1929
*''
Synaptula neirensis''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula psara''
(Sluiter, 1887)
*''
Synaptula reciprocans''
(Forskal, 1775)
*''
Synaptula recta''
(Semper, 1867)
*''
Synaptula reticulata''
(Semper, 1867)
*''
Synaptula rosea''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula rosetta''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula secreta''
Ancona Lopez, 1957
*''
Synaptula spinifera''
Massin & Tomascik, 1996
*''
Synaptula tualensis''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula varians''
(Nair, 1946)
*''
Synaptula violacea''
Heding, 1928
*''
Synaptula virgata''
(Sluiter, 1901)
Image:Synaptula lamperti.jpg, '' Synaptula cf. lamperti''
, '' Synaptula reciprocans''
Image:Chondrocloea recta - Plate 15 (Clark, 1938) (cropped).jpg, '' Synaptula recta''
Image:Sponge synaptid sea cucumbers (Family Synaptidae).jpg, Unidentified ''Synaptula''
References
Holothuroidea genera
Synaptidae
{{Holothuroidea-stub