Sound-to-table? The sweet potato sea cucumber is a produce impersonator

Sea cucumbers like Molpadia intermedia are part of a larger group called Echinodermata that also includes sea stars, brittle stars, and sea urchins.

Superficially, sea cukes don’t look much like their echinoderm kin, but they all have three characteristics in common:

1. A water vascular system made up of tubes and valves which allows movement, digestion, and breathing by pumping water throughout the body.
2. Pentaradial symmetry — the body is organized in five symmetrical sections.
3. An internal skeleton containing calcium carbonate.

Get under your skin

In the case of sea cucumbers, the internal skeleton takes the form of tiny particles called ossicles, embedded in the outer skin. Taxonomists can identify sea cucumbers by examining the shape of their skin ossicles under a light microscope.

M. intermedia has two kinds of ossicles:

1. “Tables” — flat plates with tall, narrow spires
2. Plates shaped like tennis racquets, filled with tiny holes

In addition to ossicles, M. intermedia has something else lurking inside its skin: tiny iron- and phosphate-rich blobs called phosphatic bodies. You can see these microscopic orange blobs in the image to the right above. The animals get more of these as they get older. Scientists think these granules serve to strengthen the connective tissue in the skin.

No foot to stand on

Sea cucumbers typically have rows of tube feet running the length of their bodies; however, M. intermedia lacks tube feet, giving it a smooth and shiny appearance. Its soft, cylindrical body has muscles running its length. These muscles can expand to lengthen it (up to 43 cm) or contract to shorten it into a little ball when it is disturbed.

At one end of its body is a mouth surrounded by 15 feeding tentacles. These short, finger-like tentacles help push food into its mouth as it ingests sediment while burrowing. At the rear end of its body is a short, stubby tail.

Couch Potato

M. intermedia seldom moves, making it an easy target for its main predators, including the sand star, Luidia foliolata, and fish. In some areas, M. intermedia lives in densities of up to 15 per square meter, and individuals tend to aggregate in groups of two to six. Talk about a sea cucumber buffet!

 

Critter of the month

Our benthic taxonomists, Dany and Angela, share their discoveries by bringing us a benthic Critter of the Month. Dany and Angela are scientists who work for the Marine Sediment Monitoring Program. These posts will give you a peek into the life of Puget Sound’s least-known inhabitants.

In each issue we will highlight one of the Sound’s many fascinating invertebrates. We’ll share details on identification, habitat, life history, and the role this critter plays in the sediment community. Can't get enough benthos? See photos from our Eyes Under Puget Sound collection on Flickr.