ZOOLOGY HONOURS SEMESTER TWO: 2020 JAN-JULY

CLASSIFICATION OF ECHINODERMATA

Echinoderms are exclusively marine species, represented by nearly 8000 extant

species. They evolved back in the Cambrian period, nearly 600 million years ago.

 The uncephalized (no head) body displays biradial symmetry with an oral-

aboral axis;

 Body composed of five fields with podia (ambulacra) alternating with five

fields without podia (interambulacra);

 The body is unsegmented and enterocoelous, and with endomesoderm

derived from the primitive gut or archenteron;

 An endoskeleton of calcareous ossicles (tiny bony like parts) is covered by a

thin epidermis that is usually ciliated;

 Coelom is partitioned during development into hemal system, visceral system

and water vascular system;

 Water vascular system equipped with hydraulic processes called tube feet or

podia;

 No excretory organs;

 Typically dioecious with simple reproductive organs and gonoducts;

 Development begins with holoblastic, radial cleavage followed by a series of

ciliated, bilateral larval stages;

 Larvae metamorphose to become the radial adults:

A. Subphylum Pelmatozoa

Stalked forms (animals), right hydrocoel not formed, ambulacra on arms free

from theca, blastopore closes after archenteron forms

1. Class Crinoidea Calyx equipped with arms beraing pinnules

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 ZOOLOGY HONOURS SEMESTER TWO: 2020 JAN-JULY

B. Subphylum Eleutherozoa

Free moving, with body globose or discoid, with or without arms; with

madreporite, tube feet on lateral branches of radial water canal; larvae with

auricularia or lobes:

2. Class Asteroidea Arms radiate, arranged horizontally, open

ambulacral groove, double row of ambulacral ossicles, arms not offset

from body disc; original larval anus lost and replaced by new anus

located in BC interradius:

3. Class Ophiuroidea Ambulacral furrows covered; anus lost;

paired ambulacral plates forming arm segments and fused into single

vertebrae; larval processes supported by skeletal rods; ossicular jaws;

Tiedmann’s bodies; larval mouth lost and replaced by new mouth:

4. Class Echinoidea Body globose or discoid; mouth generally

with elaborate jaw apparatus (Aristotle’s lantern); peripharyngeal

coelom, test spinose; Tiedmann’s bodies; larval process are supported

by skeletal rods; larval anus replaced by one just dorsal to it:

5. Class Holothuroidea Body warty, biradial or bilateral;

peripharyngeal coelom, ambulacra reduced; gonads not radially

arranged; no ossicles as jaw apparatus; no Tiedmann’s bodies; larval

anus lost and replaced by one just dorsal to it:

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