BACKGROUND There are five major extant groups of Echinodermata: Crinoidea (feather stars and sea lillies), Ophiuroidea (brittle stars and basket stars), Asteroidea (sea stars), Echinoidea (sea urchins, sea biscuits, and sand dollars), and Holothuroidea (sea cucumbers). These animals are known for their pentaradial symmetry as adults, unique water vascular system, mutable collagenous tissues, an...

Faunal inventories are extremely important, especially when focused on neglected groups, such as echinoderms, and concentrated on areas under intense anthropic activity such as the SAo Sebastilo Channel in Brazil (23 degrees 41' - 23 degrees 54' S and 45 degrees 19' - 45 degrees 30' W). Intertidal and upper sublittoral zone collections were performed at five sites of the Channel's continental m...

This paper reports on some sea cucumbers (Holothuroidea) in the collections of the NHMUK, taken off the coast of Ghana. Most result from collections around Accra during the years 1949-52. A couple of other species are included. Altogether six species are here reported, viz. Holothuria (Holothuria) dakarensis Panning, 1939; Holothuria (Semperothuria) imitans Ludwig, 1875; Holothuria (Vaneyothuri...

Tropical commercial sea cucumber Stichopus horrens is extensively distributed throughout the tropical Indo-Pacific region, and wild stocks have been severely depleted over the past decade. In this study, we used the microsatellite enrichment library of S. horrens to identify and characterize 13 microsatellite loci, including 11 polymorphic loci and 2 monomorphic loci. Among the 11 polymorphic l...

This study aimed to determine phylogenetic relationship between and among selected species of sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) using 16S mitochondrial ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene. Phylogenetic analyses of 37 partial sequences of 16S mitochondrial rRNA gene using three main methods namely neighbour joining (NJ), maximum parsimony (MP) and maximum likelihood (ML) showed the presence of ...

Abstract In the present study, biochemical composition of some Echinodermata (Holothuroidea, Echinoidea) from Red Sea, Egypt was investigated. The results showed that highest percentage saturated fatty acids (SFA) in Holothuria nobilis and lowest recorded scabra. monounsaturated (MUFA) Pearsonothuria graeffei while atra. polyunsaturated (PUFA) omega-3 Stichopus hermanni however, Diadema setosum...

Several species of sea cucumbers, all belonging to a single family, possess a peculiar and specialized defense system, the Cuvierian tubules. It is mobilized when the animal is mechanically stimulated, resulting in the discharge of a few white filaments, the tubules. In seawater, the expelled tubules lengthen considerably and become sticky upon contact with any object. The adhesiveness of their...