Synaptidae
Encyclopedia
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.
Synaptids are elongated and vermose and vary from small to quite large. Synapta maculata grows to two metres in length. They are quite active, moving by means of waves of peristaltic
contractions. Their tegument is somewhat sticky because of the anchor-like spicules that project through the skin.
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...
that have no 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...
, 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.
Synaptids are elongated and vermose and vary from small to quite large. Synapta maculata grows to two metres in length. They are quite active, moving by means of waves of peristaltic
Peristalsis
Peristalsis is a radially symmetrical contraction and relaxation of muscles which propagates in a wave down the muscular tube, in an anterograde fashion. In humans, peristalsis is found in the contraction of smooth muscles to propel contents through the digestive tract. Earthworms use a similar...
contractions. Their tegument is somewhat sticky because of the anchor-like spicules that project through the skin.
Genera
- Anapta (Semper, 1868)
- Chondrocloea (Ostergren, 1898)
- Dactylapta
- Epitomapta (Heding, 1928)
- Euapta (Östergren, 1898)
- Eupatinapta
- Labidoplax (Östergren, 1898)
- Leptosynapta (Verrill, 1867)
- Oestergrenia (Heding, 1931)
- Oncinolabes
- Opheodesoma (Fisher, 1907)
- Patinapta (Heding, 1928)
- Pendekaplectana
- Polyplectana (Clark, 1907)
- Protankyra (Östergren, 1898)
- Rhabdomolgus (Keferstein, 1863)
- Rynkatorpa (Rowe & Pawson, 1967)
- Synapta (Eschscholtz, 1829)
- SynaptulaSynaptulaSynaptula is a genus of sea cucumbers, containing the following species:*Synaptula alba Heding, 1928*Synaptula albolineata Heding, 1928*Synaptula aspera *Synaptula ater Heding, 1928*Synaptula bandae Heding, 1928...
(Oersted, 1849)