Synaptula lamperti
Encyclopedia
Synaptula lamperti is a species
of sea cucumber
in the family
Synaptidae
in the phylum Echinoderm
ata, found on coral reef
s in the Indo-Pacific region. The echinoderms are marine invertebrates and include the sea urchin
s, starfish and sea cucumbers. They are radially symmetric and have a water vascular system that operates by hydrostatic pressure
, enabling them to move around by use of many suckers known as tube feet
. Sea cucumbers are usually leathery, gherkin-shaped animals with a cluster of short tentacles at one end. They live on the sea bottom.
on the body but a few have been modified into a tuft of pinnate feeding tentacle
s which are constantly in motion. The skeletal system consists of small calcareous plates which are embedded in the cuticle. These ossicles consist of little hooks that protrude through the skin and make the animal seem sticky. It moves around rapidly and efficiently using the hooks at one end of its body for adhesion while muscular contractions and hydrostatic pressure changes alter the position of the other end.
S. lamperti is found in the Western Pacific including the coasts of Indonesia
, Papua New Guinea
, Micronesia
and the Philippines
.
that specifically feeds on or around living sponges of the Ianthella basta
species. It appears to require the nutrients provided by this particular sponge to thrive, as it ingests microscopic organic particles such as diatom
s and also substances exuded from the surface of its host sponge. It feeds only at night, and food is processed rapidly, with a passage time though the digestive tract of under an hour.
Most individuals of S. lamperti are either male or female, but hermaphrodite
s occasionally occur and self-fertilisation may take place. The closely related species Synaptula hydriformis has been studied in detail and its fertilised eggs are retained in the coelom
where the juveniles develop in a safe protected environment. If S. lamperti becomes damaged, both the anterior and the posterior portions can regenerate into new individuals.
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
of sea cucumber
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. There are a number of holothurian species and genera, many of which are targeted...
in the family
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Synaptidae
Synaptidae
Synaptidae is a family of sea cucumber that have no tube feet, tentacle ampullae, retractor muscles, respiratory trees, or cuvierian organs. They also lack radial canals of the water-vascular system, with only the circumoral ring present....
in the phylum Echinoderm
Echinoderm
Echinoderms are a phylum of marine animals. Echinoderms are found at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone....
ata, found on coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s in the Indo-Pacific region. The echinoderms are marine invertebrates and include the sea urchin
Sea urchin
Sea urchins or urchins are small, spiny, globular animals which, with their close kin, such as sand dollars, constitute the class Echinoidea of the echinoderm phylum. They inhabit all oceans. Their shell, or "test", is round and spiny, typically from across. Common colors include black and dull...
s, starfish and sea cucumbers. They are radially symmetric and have a water vascular system that operates by hydrostatic pressure
Fluid statics
Fluid statics is the science of fluids at rest, and is a sub-field within fluid mechanics. The term usually refers to the mathematical treatment of the subject. It embraces the study of the conditions under which fluids are at rest in stable equilibrium...
, enabling them to move around by use of many suckers known as tube feet
Tube feet
Tube feet are the many small tubular projections found most famously on the oral face of a sea star's arms, but are characteristic of the water vascular system of the echinoderm phylum which also includes sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers and many other sea creatures.Tube feet function in...
. Sea cucumbers are usually leathery, gherkin-shaped animals with a cluster of short tentacles at one end. They live on the sea bottom.
Description
S. lamperti has an elongated, opaque body with several dark-coloured, longitudinal stripes. There are no tube feetTube feet
Tube feet are the many small tubular projections found most famously on the oral face of a sea star's arms, but are characteristic of the water vascular system of the echinoderm phylum which also includes sea urchins, sand dollars and sea cucumbers and many other sea creatures.Tube feet function in...
on the body but a few have been modified into a tuft of pinnate feeding tentacle
Tentacle
A tentacle or bothrium is one of usually two or more elongated flexible organs present in animals, especially invertebrates. The term may also refer to the hairs of the leaves of some insectivorous plants. Usually, tentacles are used for feeding, feeling and grasping. Anatomically, they work like...
s which are constantly in motion. The skeletal system consists of small calcareous plates which are embedded in the cuticle. These ossicles consist of little hooks that protrude through the skin and make the animal seem sticky. It moves around rapidly and efficiently using the hooks at one end of its body for adhesion while muscular contractions and hydrostatic pressure changes alter the position of the other end.
Distribution
S. lamperti is found in the Western Pacific including the coasts of Indonesia
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
, Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea , officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea, is a country in Oceania, occupying the eastern half of the island of New Guinea and numerous offshore islands...
, Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
and the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
.
Biology
S. lamperti is very common on coral reefs, both on the exposed and the inner slopes. It is a detrivoreDetritivore
Detritivores, also known as detritophages or detritus feeders or detritus eaters or saprophages, are heterotrophs that obtain nutrients by consuming detritus . By doing so, they contribute to decomposition and the nutrient cycles...
that specifically feeds on or around living sponges of the Ianthella basta
Ianthella basta
Ianthella basta or elephant ear sponge is a species of fan-shaped sponge in the class Demospongiae. It is also known as the paper sponge or scroll sponge....
species. It appears to require the nutrients provided by this particular sponge to thrive, as it ingests microscopic organic particles such as diatom
Diatom
Diatoms are a major group of algae, and are one of the most common types of phytoplankton. Most diatoms are unicellular, although they can exist as colonies in the shape of filaments or ribbons , fans , zigzags , or stellate colonies . Diatoms are producers within the food chain...
s and also substances exuded from the surface of its host sponge. It feeds only at night, and food is processed rapidly, with a passage time though the digestive tract of under an hour.
Most individuals of S. lamperti are either male or female, but hermaphrodite
Hermaphrodite
In biology, a hermaphrodite is an organism that has reproductive organs normally associated with both male and female sexes.Many taxonomic groups of animals do not have separate sexes. In these groups, hermaphroditism is a normal condition, enabling a form of sexual reproduction in which both...
s occasionally occur and self-fertilisation may take place. The closely related species Synaptula hydriformis has been studied in detail and its fertilised eggs are retained in the coelom
Coelom
The coelom is a fluid-filled cavity formed within the mesoderm. Coeloms developed in triploblasts but were subsequently lost in several lineages. Loss of coelom is correlated with reduction in body size...
where the juveniles develop in a safe protected environment. If S. lamperti becomes damaged, both the anterior and the posterior portions can regenerate into new individuals.