Leptosynapta tenuis ( Ayres, 1851 )

Pawson, David L., Pawson, Doris J. & King, Rachael A., 2010, A taxonomic guide to the Echinodermata of the South Atlantic Bight, USA: 1. Sea cucumbers (Echinodermata: Holothuroidea), Zootaxa 2449, pp. 1-48 : 44

Leptosynapta tenuis ( Ayres, 1851)

Figure 38

Synapta tenuis Ayres, 1851:11 .

Leptosynapta tenuis .— Hendler et al., 1995: 308, figs.174, 189A–E.

Material examined. None.

Diagnosis. This slender, worm-shaped species reaches about 15cm in length. Color of transparent body wall light violet. Surrounding the mouth are 12 tentacles, each with 9–11 digits of which the terminal one is the longest, and 15–25 sensory cups on the inner surface. The ossicles consist of anchors (110–200 μm), anchor plates (120–160 μm), and miliary granules. The number of teeth on the anchor flukes vary from none to approximately seven. The miliary granules are numerous, especially in the tentacle stalks. They are in the shape of tiny, straight to curved rods, C-shapes, or dumb-bells.

Distribution. MA to E and W FL, Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico.

Habitat. Sandy and muddy sediments, sometimes associated with seagrass rhizomes. Littoral, less than 1 m.

Remarks. Often referred to in the past as L. inhaerens ( O.F. Müller, 1776) ; L. inhaerens is now usually regarded as restricted to the NE Atlantic.

Figures

FIGURE 38. Leptosynapta tenuis (Ayres, 1851). A, whole animal; B, anchor plate; C, anchor; D, miliary granules.