Thyone roscovita
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Thyone roscovita | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Domain: | Eukaryota |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Echinodermata |
| Class: | Holothuroidea |
| Order: | Dendrochirotida |
| Family: | Phyllophoridae |
| Genus: | Thyone |
| Species: | T. roscovita |
| Binomial name | |
| Thyone roscovita | |
Thyone roscovita is a species of sea cucumber in the family Phyllophoridae. It is found on gravel, sand and mud substrates in the north-eastern Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea at depths down to about 40 m (130 ft).[1] It is a suspension feeder and catches food particles floating past with its branched feeding tentacles.
Thyone roscovita has a cylindrical body up to 80 mm (3 in) long. The general colour is pinkish-grey or pinkish-brown, with scattered darker brown and opaque spots. The body has a thick cuticle, and is densely covered with yellowish, flat-topped tube feet. The anterior (front) end has a mouth surrounded by a ring of ten branching tentacles, and the plume of tentacles is often the only part of the animal visible, the body being buried in the sediment.[2] The tentacular plume is up to 60 mm (2 in) long; the bases of the tentacles are thick and whitish, the secondary branches are black and needle-like, and these bear transparent wispy filaments that give a vaporous effect.[2]