Thelenota ananas

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Thelenota ananas
Pepino de mar (Thelenota ananas), mar Rojo, Egipto, 2023-04-17, DD 61.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Domain: Eukaryota
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Order: Synallactida
Family: Stichopodidae
Genus: Thelenota
Brandt, 1835
Species:
T. ananas
Binomial name
Thelenota ananas
Jaeger  [ de ], 1833

Thelenota ananas, also known as pineapple sea cucumber, oloturia ananas, tripang, prickly skin cucumber, pointed teat sea cucumber, armoured sea cucumber, giant sea cucumber, sand fish or prickly redfish, is a species of sea cucumber [1] [2] found in tropical Indo-Pacific waters from the Red Sea and East Africa to Hawaii and Polynesia.

Contents

Description

Thelenota ananas (pineapple sea cucumber) is a species of sea cucumber characterized by its large size, warm colors, and pointed, star-shaped teats covering the entire body, grouped in rows of 2 or 3, as seen in Figure 1. Their body is reddish-orange in color, with the teats slightly darker. They are able to reach up to 70 centimeters (28 in) in length, with a weight of between 3 kg to 6 kg, and have numerous large tube feet on the flat ventral side of their body. [3] T. ananas is a slow growing organism. [4]

Environment

The environment of T. ananas is found in clean, sandy bottoms of lagoons with a depth of up to 30 m, or in slabs near large coral heads and coral rubble, as depicted in Figure 2. They are typically located in seas surrounding India and in the Great Barrier Reef, Australia. [3] The average water temperatures they thrive in are between 26-27 °C. [4] The individuals are large and found dispersed in low densities. [5]

Behavior

T. ananas are widely distributed, but tracking these organisms in a non-invasive and accurate way is somewhat difficult. Mark and recapture methods can be difficult because their bodies are extendable, so measuring their body has proven difficult to scientists since the numbers are ever-changing. The body wall of T. ananas cannot be tagged because it affects the growth of the organism, and are later shed off altogether. Scratching marks into the body wall induces short-term trauma and does not last long enough for mark and recapture efforts. These methods all harm T. ananas in some form, so the best non-invasive way to track their growth and traveling is through photographs.

Detail of the head Pepino de mar (Thelenota ananas), mar Rojo, Egipto, 2023-04-17, DD 60.jpg
Detail of the head
Figure 1. Close-up view of teats on T. ananas Thelenota ananas (Pineapple sea cucumber) close-up.jpg
Figure 1. Close-up view of teats on T. ananas

While generally considered sedentary, they have large tube feet hidden underneath their body which allow them to be highly mobile creatures and widely distributed. They are slow growing, but also longer lived and have lower mortality rates. T. ananas is diurnally active, meaning they're active during the day.

T. ananas plays an important role in coral reef ecosystems by recycling nutrients, bioturbating sediments, buffering sea water from ocean acidification to local scales, prey to a range of predators, and acting as a host for symbiotic biota. [4]

Parasites

Figure 2. T. ananas in rocky habitat Sea Cucumber (Thelenota ananas) (6130015849).jpg
Figure 2. T. ananas in rocky habitat

T. ananas acts as a host to parasites identified as small siphonostome copepods within the genus Nanaspis. Arthur G. Humes of Boston University's Marine Program published research in 1973 that identified three new siphonostomes found onT. ananas. The research was conducted by collected and isolating T. ananas, washing them with 5% ethyl alcohol in sea water, and then passing a very fine mesh net through the wash water to collect the parasites. In this study, most of the parasites collected, across all T. ananas, were female. It was also found that all three of these newly discovered species could occur on the same host at the same time, and are very similar in structure, leading to the theory that these three evolved from a common ancestor that was also associated with T. ananas in the past. As many as 847 adult parasites were collected from one single specimen. [6]

Another parasite often found in this holothuroid is the worm pearlfish (Encheliophis vermicularis). [7]

Feeding

T. ananas feeds exclusively on calcareous alga Halimeda sp. [3]

As a food source

T. ananas is one of the most popular edible sea cucumber species consumed in China, and some other Southeast Asian countries. Research published in 2014 by Long Yu et al. examined the chemical properties of this organism that makes it such a delicacy. They found that they contained a polysaccharide that is present in brown algae and sea cucumbers called Fucoidan, that contains L-fucose and sulphate groups, which is a primary component aiding their popularity. Consumption of T. ananas provides health benefits such as antioxidants, anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, anti-proliferative, anti-coagulant, and anti-viral effects. [8] Furthermore, sea cucumbers contain saponins, which can help regulate cholesterol metabolism, alleviate the development of obesity, hyperlipidemia, and diabetes. [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Echinoderm</span> Exclusively marine phylum of animals with generally 5-point radial symmetry

An echinoderm is any member of the phylum Echinodermata. The adults are recognisable by their radial symmetry, and include starfish, brittle stars, sea urchins, sand dollars, and sea cucumbers, as well as the sea lilies or "stone lilies". Adult echinoderms are found on the sea bed at every ocean depth, from the intertidal zone to the abyssal zone. The phylum contains about 7,000 living species, making it the second-largest grouping of deuterostomes, after the chordates. Echinoderms are the largest entirely marine phylum. The first definitive echinoderms appeared near the start of the Cambrian.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea cucumber</span> Class of echinoderms

Sea cucumbers are echinoderms from the class Holothuroidea. They are marine animals with a leathery skin and an elongated body containing a single, branched gonad. They are found on the sea floor worldwide. The number of known holothurian species worldwide is about 1,786, with the greatest number being in the Asia-Pacific region. Many of these are gathered for human consumption and some species are cultivated in aquaculture systems. The harvested product is variously referred to as trepang, namako, bêche-de-mer, or balate. Sea cucumbers serve a useful role in the marine ecosystem as they help recycle nutrients, breaking down detritus and other organic matter, after which bacteria can continue the decomposition process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea apple</span> Non-taxonomic group of sea cucumbers

Sea apple is the common name for the colorful and somewhat round sea cucumbers of the genus Pseudocolochirus, found in Indo-Pacific waters. Sea apples are filter feeders with tentacles, ovate bodies, and tube-like feet. As with many other holothurians, they can release their internal organs or a toxin into the water when stressed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stichopodidae</span> Family of sea cucumbers

The Stichopodidae are a family of sea cucumbers, part of the order Synallactida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea cucumbers as food</span> Marine foodstuff

Sea cucumbers are marine animals of the class Holothuroidea. They can be used as food, in fresh or dried form, in various cuisines. In some cultural contexts the sea cucumber is thought to have medicinal value.

<i>Holothuria atra</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria atra, commonly known as the black sea cucumber or lollyfish, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Holothuriidae. It was placed in the subgenus Halodeima by Pearson in 1914, making its full scientific name Holothuria (Halodeima) atra. It is the type species of the subgenus.

The worm pearlfish is an eel-like fish in the family Carapidae.

<i>Holothuria scabra</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria scabra, or sandfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It was placed in the subgenus Metriatyla by Rowe in 1969 and is the type species of the subgenus. Sandfish are harvested and processed into "beche-de-mer" and eaten in China and other Pacific coastal communities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aquaculture of sea cucumbers</span>

Sea cucumber stocks have been overexploited in the wild, resulting in incentives to grow them by aquaculture. Aquaculture means the sea cucumbers are farmed in contained areas where they can be cultured in a controlled manner. In China, sea cucumbers are cultured, along with prawns and some fish species, in integrated multi-trophic systems. In these systems, the sea cucumbers feed on the waste and feces from the other species. In this manner, what would otherwise be polluting byproducts from the culture of the other species become a valuable resource that is turned into a marketable product.

<i>Lissocarcinus orbicularis</i> Species of crab

Lissocarcinus orbicularis, common names sea cucumber crab, red-spotted white crab, and harlequin crab is a species of crab in the family Portunidae. This species gains one of its names from its close-knit relationship with holothuroids, the sea cucumbers. L. orbicularis should not be confused with L. laevis, a similar species of swimming crab, or Camposcia retusa, both of which are also commonly referred to as the harlequin crab. L. orbicularis displays numerous morphological and social adaptations for feeding and has a large distribution throughout the Indo-West Pacific.

<i>Holothuria leucospilota</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria leucospilota, commonly known as the black sea cucumber or black tarzan, is a species of marine invertebrate in the family Holothuriidae. It is placed in the subgenus Mertensiothuria making its full scientific name Holothuria (Mertensiothuria) leucospilota. It is the type species of the subgenus and is found on the seabed in shallow water in the Indo-Pacific.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pinhead pearlfish</span> Species of fish

The pinhead pearlfish, Encheliophis boraborensis, is a species of slender, ray-finned fish in the family Carapidae found in the tropical Indo-Pacific Ocean; it normally lives inside the body cavity of a sea cucumber such as the pineapple sea cucumber or the leopard sea cucumber.

<i>Thelenota</i> Genus of sea cucumbers

Thelenota is a genus of sea cucumber in the family Stichopodidae.

<i>Callyspongia crassa</i> Species of sponge

Callyspongia crassa, commonly known as prickly tube-sponge, is a species of sponge found from the Red Sea to the Seychelles. Its wide flexible brown tube with exterior protuberances can appear as a single tube or as clusters of tubes and can reach up to 50 centimeters in size. Like many other sea sponges, it is primarily used for marine drugs as they have many bioactive components and properties. They also play an important role in marine reef and benthic communities, as they constantly filter water and act as habitats for smaller organisms. As sea sponges, they have the ability to reproduce both sexually and asexually.

Psolus chitonoides, also known as the slipper sea cucumber, armoured sea cucumber, creeping armoured sea cucumber, or creeping pedal sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Psolidae. It is found in shallow water on the western coast of North America. The scientific name "chitonoides" means resembling a chiton.

<i>Actinopyga echinites</i> Species of sea cucumber

Actinopyga echinites, commonly known as the brownfish or deep water redfish, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is native to the tropical Indo-Pacific region and is harvested for food.

Thyonicola americana is a species of parasitic sea snail, a marine gastropod mollusc in the family Eulimidae. It infests the sea cucumbers Eupentacta quinquesemita and Eupentacta pseudoquinquesemita in Puget Sound and other parts of the northeastern Pacific Ocean.

<i>Thelenota rubralineata</i> Species of sea cucumber

Thelenota rubralineata is a species of sea cucumber in the family Stichopodidae, in the phylum Echinodermata, mainly located in the central Indo-Pacific region. It has a distinctive coloring pattern, and can be found on the seabed near coral. T. rubralineata is part of the Thelenota genus, characterized by their large size and the presence of a calcareous ring.

<i>Actinopyga varians</i> Species of sea cucumber

Actinopyga varians, the Pacific white-spotted sea cucumber or Hawaiian sea cucumber, is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is found in the Pacific Ocean near Hawaii and also in the Indo-Pacific Ocean.

<i>Holothuria difficilis</i> Species of sea cucumber

Holothuria (Platyperona) difficilis is a species of sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. Holothuria comes from Latin but is originally taken from Greek. Its meaning is a plantlike animal whose origin is uncertain.

References

  1. ↑ WoRMS - World Register of Marine Species - Thelenota ananas (Jaeger, 1833)
  2. ↑ Prickly Redfish (Thelenota ananas) - Information on Prickly Redfish - Encyclopedia of Life
  3. 1 2 3 James, D.B. (2001). "Twenty sea cucumbers from seas around India" (PDF). Naga, the ICLARM Quarterly. 24: 4–8.
  4. 1 2 3 Purcell, Steven W. (June 2016). "Movement and growth of the coral reed holothuroids Bahadschia argus and Thelonata ananas" (PDF). Marine Ecology Progress Series. 551: 201–214. doi:10.3354/meps11720.
  5. ↑ Conand, C. (1993-07-01). "Reproductive biology of the holothurians from the major communities of the New Caledonian Lagoon". Marine Biology. 116 (3): 439–450. doi:10.1007/BF00350061. S2CID   85249879.
  6. ↑ Humes, Arthur G. (1973). "Nanaspis (Copepoda: Cyclopoida) parasitic on the holothurian Thelenota ananas (Jaeger) at Eniwetok Atoll". Journal of Parasitology. 59 (2): 384–395. doi:10.2307/3278840. JSTOR   3278840.
  7. ↑ Froese, Rainer; Pauly, Daniel (eds.) (2018). "Encheliophis vermicularis" in FishBase . February 2018 version.
  8. ↑ Yu, Long (March 2014). "Structure elucidation of fucoidan composed of a novel tetrafucose repeating unit from sea cucumber Thelonata ananas". Food Chemistry. 146: 113–119. doi:10.1016/j.foodchem.2013.09.033. PMID   24176321.
  9. ↑ Zhu, Beiwei; Luo, Yongkang; Dong, Xiuping; Li, Kaifeng; Han, Qi-an (2018-06-22). "Function of Thelenota ananas saponin desulfated holothurin A in modulating cholesterol metabolism". Scientific Reports. 8 (1): 9506. Bibcode:2018NatSR...8.9506H. doi:10.1038/s41598-018-27932-x. PMC   6014995 . PMID   29934523.
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