Caudinidae

Caudinidae is a family of sea cucumbers, marine animals with elongated bodies, leathery skins and tentacles that are found on the sea floor.

Caudinidae
An immature Caudina arenicola washed up at San Diego
Scientific classification
Kingdom:
Animalia
Phylum:
Echinodermata
Class:
Holothuroidea
Subclass:
Apodacea
Order:
Molpadiida
Family:
Caudinidae

Perrier, 1902 [1]
Genera
See text

Description

Members of the family Caudinidae are fairly small, plump sea cucumbers with a thin body wall and no tube feet. They are relatively inactive and live in a "U"-shaped burrow in sand or mud at the bottom of the sea. Their tentacles spread out above the sediment to catch food particles and their caudal region may be elongated and also extend to the surface. This may help with gas exchange as they have respiratory trees, a type of water lung, attached to the cloaca.[2]

Genera

The following genera are accepted as being in the Caudinidae:

  • Acaudina Clark, 1907
  • Caudina Stimpson, 1853
  • Ceraplectana
  • Hedingia Deichmann, 1938
  • Microdactyla
  • Paracaudina Heding, 1931 [1]

References
  1. World Register of Marine Species
  2. Marine Species Identification Portal
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