Oneirophanta mutabilis
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| Oneirophanta mutabilis | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Holothuroidea |
| Order: | Synallactida |
| Family: | Deimatidae |
| Genus: | Oneirophanta |
| Species: | O. mutabilis |
| Binomial name | |
| Oneirophanta mutabilis Théel, 1879 [1] | |
Oneirophanta mutabilis is a species of sea cucumbers in the family Deimatidae. It is the type species of the genus Oneirophanta. It is found on the seabed at abyssal depths. It was first described by the Swedish zoologist Hjalmar Théel in 1879, being one of the many deep sea animals discovered during the Challenger expedition of 1872–1876.[1]
Description
This sea cucumber has an elongate body that can be up to 160 mm (6.3 in) long and 60 mm (2.4 in) wide. The mouth is at the anterior end of the ventral surface and is surrounded by a ring of twenty tentacles of varying lengths, the tip of each of which has eight projections round the margin. The tube feet on the ventral surface vary in number and are usually in a single row or scattered irregularly. A further row of peg-like tube feet run along each side and the dorsal surface is dotted with papillae (conical fleshy projections of the body wall with sensory tube feet at their apices) that vary from 2 to 50 mm (0.1 to 2.0 in) in length, the longer ones resembling tentacles. The skin is rough, brittle and somewhat transparent and the colour of preserved specimens is white, pale brown or dark brown.[2]