PORT PHILLIP BAY


Sea Cucumber 

Leptosynapta dolabrifera (Stimpson, 1855)

View scientific description and taxonomy

Scientific Details

Body wall ossicles pear-shaped anchor plates with toothed perforations, and anchors that project from the body and make it "sticky" to touch. Thick worm-like, up to 90 mm long, soft translucent "sticky" body wall, lacking tube feet, tentacles with many digits, colour commonly white, may be reddish-purple.

Taxonomy

Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Holothuroidea
Order:
Apodida
Family:
Synaptidae
Genus:
Leptosynapta
Species:
dolabrifera

General Description

Body thick and worm-like, soft translucent "sticky" surface. No tube feet. Tentacles with many digits. Commonly white, may be reddish-purple. Up to 9 cm long.

Biology

The two colour forms, white and red-purple, may indicate two separate species. Molecular genetic data are being sought to clarify this matter.

Habitat

In sediment near rocks, to depth of at least 24 m.

Reefs

Soft substrates

Distribution guide

Southern Australia.

Species Group

Sea cucumbers

Depth

Shore (0-1 m)
Shallow (1-30 m)

Water Column

On or near sea floor

Max Size

9 cm

Diet

Organic matter

Commercial Species

No

Global Dispersal

Native to Australia

Species Code

MoV 1623

Identify

Conservation Status

  • DSE Advisory List : Not listed
  • EPBC Act 1999 : Not listed
  • IUCN Red List : Not listed

Author

article author O'Loughlin, P. M.

Mark O'Loughlin is an Honorary Associate in marine invertebrates at Museum Victoria.

citation

Cite this page as:
O'Loughlin, P. M., 2011, Sea Cucumber, Leptosynapta dolabrifera, in Taxonomic Toolkit for marine life of Port Phillip Bay, Museum Victoria, accessed 05 May 2024, http://136.154.202.208:8098/species/4695

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