Leptosynapta dolabrifera

Snot sea cucumber
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Order: Apodida
Family: Synaptidae
Genus: Leptosynapta
Verrill, 1867
Species: L. dolabrifera
Binomial name
Leptosynapta dolabrifera
Stimpson, 1855

Leptosynapta dolabrifera, otherwise known as the snot sea cucumber, is one of 34 species of the Leptosynapta genus, of the Synaptidae family of sea cucumbers.

Description

Snot sea cucumbers have a small, 9.2 to 15.3 cm (3.6 to 6.0 in)[1][2] chubby or slender pink, purple, red [3] or white body and weigh 0.001 to 0.24 kg (0.0022 to 0.5291 lb) . They are covered in mucous and small spines called anchors.

Distribution

Snot sea cucumbers are native to Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia, and Tasmania.[2]

Habitat

Leptosynapta dolabrifera lives in rocky reefs and shores and depths as deep as 200 m.[2]

Feeding and Diet

Like most other sea cucumbers, snot sea cucumbers burrow themselves in sand or mud, and extracts nutrients with their tentacles. They excrete waste leaving behind trails of sand.

References


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