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• Free swimming
• Bilateral symmetry
• Most adult echinoderms show radial symmetry---
Pentamerous symmetry (5 or more radiating areas)
(The first defining character of echinoderms)
As radial symmetrical animals;
• They lack cephalization; No head; No brain
• Hence, do not have anterior, posterior ends.
• Show, oral and aboral axis.
Oral
Aboral
• They do not have a highly developed nervous system;
includes circumoral nerve ring and radial nerves.
Ossicles
• Ossicles are bound together with connective tissue.
Dermal branchia
Muscles
Epidermis
Dermis
Body surface is marked by five symmetrically radiating areas (ambulacra)
and five alternating inter-radii (inter-ambulacra)
• Echinoderms possess a unique water vascular system or
ambulacral (appendages such as "tube feet") system. (The
third defining character of echinoderms)
• They live on the rocky sea bottom; shore lines and among
coral reefs.
Arms are stout and short; merged with a central disc.
Ambulacral grooves are open on oral side of each arm.
Tube feet extend from each groove.
Tube feet project between ambulacral ridge.
• Move very slowly along the sea bed using hundreds -
thousands of tiny tube feet.
• Other than spines and tube feet
• Asteroids do possess;
• 1. noncalcified outfoldings of the outer body wall--
papullae--serve as respiratory function
• (found protrud between ossicles and connects
directly to coelomic cavity)
These arms break of extremely easyly, hence the name "Brittlestars". The segments of the arms
are each covered by 1 - 3 plates (their number and shape help with the identification). The sides
of the arms are often spiny.
Ophiopluteus larva of ophiuroid
Class Crinoidea
• 900 species
• Body is greatly elongated in the oral-aboral axis.
Sea daisies were first discovered in sunken wood off the coast of New Zealand in 1983.
• Live 1 kilometre below the surface of the sea (abyssal
depth).
• Sand dollars are flat and will spend most of their time
submerged under the sand in shallow waters.
• Most of these creatures have a globular body that is encased
in a hard calcium carbonate shell (the test). The test is formed
by the fusion of the spines in the skin. The mouth occurs
centrally on the underside, with the anus ussually on the
upper side. Through tiny pores in the test, tube feet protrude
(five double rows of tube feet run from the apex down the
sides of the test) and serve for movement for the sea urchin.
Long protective spines project from the test.
• Sand dollars have a series of pores arranged like a
flower on the dorsal body side
Internal structure of the sea urchin
Portion of test
• Aristotle’s lantern -Complex chewing apparatus
Echinopleuteus larva of echinoids