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Phylum Echinodermata. Echinoderms: Sea stars, brittle stars, feather stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins. characteristics. Radial symmetry Several arms (5 or more, mostly grouped 2 left- 1 middle- 2 right) radiating from a central body.
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Phylum Echinodermata Echinoderms: Sea stars, brittle stars, feather stars, sea cucumbers, sea urchins
characteristics • Radial symmetry • Several arms (5 or more, mostly grouped 2 left- 1 middle- 2 right) radiating from a central body. • Body consist of equal segments, each containing a duplicate of various internal organs.
characteristics • No brain nor hearts • With eyespots on each arm • Mouth situated on the underside and anus on top (except feather stars, sea cucumbers and some urchins). • Contains tube feet with suction pads controlled by water vascular system.
characteristics • Some are carnivorous while others are detritus foragers. • Reproduction is through release of sperms and egg into the water. • Capable of regeneration and fragmentation.
Types of Echinoderms • Class Asteroidea • Class Ophiurodea • Class Echinoidea • Class Holothuroidea • Class Crinoidea
Class Asteroidea • Carnivorous and feed on sponges and molluscs some are specialized feeders.(crown of thorns) • Doesn’t have hard mouth parts to help them capture prey.
Trivia • Crown of thorns (Acanthasterplanci) • One of the largest and the most venomous starfish. • Size reaches up to 50 cm in diameter. • 10 to 20 spiny arms with formidable thorn like toxic spines • Feed on coral polyps • Predators: Triton shell and some puffer fish
Class OPhiuroidea • Close relatives of sea stars • Have five snakelike arms which are highly flexible. • No replication of internal organs, just one set in the central disk. • Smaller central disk and no anus.
Arms of brittle stars are fragile. ( Defense Mechanism) • Most active and fastest moving echinoderms • Feed on plankton but also on detritus.
Serpent Stars • Coiled snakelike around branches of gorgonians.
TRivia • Basket stars • Specialized type of brittle stars (Astroglymmasculptum)
Class Echinoidea Sea urchins • External chitinous skeleton and a centrally located jaw • Some have spehericalbulb-like cloaca. • Movable spines are attached to the body, some are venomous
Locomotion by tube feet but also by movement of the spines on the underside of the body. • Generally nocturnal • Most are algal grazers but some feed on sponges and detritus.
Class HOlothuroidea • Don’t have radial symmetry but are bilateral. • Cucumber shaped with elongated muscular, flexible body with mouth at one end anus on the other. • Tentacles present in the mouth for food collection
Feed on rich organic film coating sandy surfaces. • Crawl over the bottom and ingest sand. • Move by means of tube feet. • Releases its digestive tract when threatened (defense mechanism)
Phylum Crinoidea • Radial symmetry • Cup-shaped body • Numerous feathery arms project from a central disc. • Have 5 up to 200 arms (pinnules) • Nocturnal • Usually cling to sponges.
Source: http://www.starfish.ch/reef/echinoderms.html#starfish