Synapta maculata

Lore & Background

Synapta maculata is a long, slender sea cucumber with fifteen tentacles, growing to a length of about 2 m (7 ft). Although not the heaviest or bulkiest sea cucumber in the world, it is probably the longest, with individuals exceptionally reaching to over 3 m (10 ft). Its colouring is variable, being some shade of yellowish-brown with wide longitudinal stripes and patches of darker colour. The ossicles (microscopic calcareous spike-like structures that support the body wall) are large and shaped like anchors and are used in locomotion; they can be as long as 2 mm. The ossicles are adhesive, and the sea cucumber is very difficult to detach from a wetsuit.

The species is native to the tropical western Indo-Pacific region. It occurs at depths down to about 20 m (66 ft) on reefs and on soft sediments on the seabed among seagrasses and seaweeds. It can also bury itself under rubble.

The tentacles of Synapta maculata surround the mouth and are used in surface feeding. They are about 2.5 cm (1 in) long when extended and have a short stem and a feather-like blade with thirty to forty pairs of pinnules. The outer surfaces of the tentacles have numerous bulges and are adhesive while the inner surfaces are smooth, with clusters of cilia on the proximal parts. The tentacles are in continuous motion; they flatten themselves against the substrate or seagrass leaf blades and collect food particles by adhesion, then bend inwards until the tips are in the mouth, where the food is scraped off by the buccal sphincter muscle. The whole process takes only a few seconds, and several tentacles can deliver their loads at the same time. If the animal is disturbed, the tentacles can contract back into the pharynx, but before long they are out again, collecting more particles.

The outer surface of the tentacles bears numerous vesicular cells, and there are a few scattered vesicles on the body surface also. The function of these cells is unclear, but it is suggested that they may contain a noxious substance and serve a defensive function. The tentacles are particularly vulnerable to predation by fish, but if they taste nasty, that enables the sea cucumber to spend a greater proportion of its time feeding, rather than having to keep retracting its tentacles whenever a fish approaches. There are also some cup-shaped structures on the inside of the tentacles near the stem. It is hypothesized that these are rudimentary sensory organs, able to taste the edibility of the food material that the animal is transporting to its mouth.

A defensive response made by many sea cucumbers is evisceration, but in the case of S. maculata, autotomy is preferred, with large individuals dispensing with sections near the rear end while smaller individuals break into many pieces. Two previously unknown triterpene holostane glycosides have been isolated from S. maculata; one has moderate activity against HeLa tumour cells while the other is inactive.

Reader's Guide

Synapta maculata is notable as one of the longest sea cucumbers, with exceptional individuals reaching over 3 m (10 ft). Its ossicles, shaped like anchors and up to 2 mm long, are adhesive and used in locomotion, making the animal difficult to detach from surfaces such as a wetsuit. The species exhibits a unique feeding behavior: its fifteen tentacles, each with thirty to forty pairs of pinnules, continuously collect food particles by adhesion and deliver them to the mouth in seconds. The tentacles' outer surfaces bear vesicular cells that may contain a noxious substance, hypothesized to deter fish predation and allow more feeding time. Cup-shaped structures on the inside of the tentacles are thought to be rudimentary sensory organs for tasting food. In defense, S. maculata prefers autotomy over evisceration, with large individuals shedding rear sections and smaller ones breaking into many pieces. Two previously unknown triterpene holostane glycosides have been isolated from this species, one showing moderate activity against HeLa tumour cells. The species was observed by naturalist Gerald Durrell in 1977 while snorkeling in shallow water in Mauritius, who described it as a strange, elongated tube that sucks in water and microscopic organisms at one end and expels water at the other.

Did You Know?

• Synapta maculata can grow to over 3 m (10 ft), making it one of the longest sea cucumbers.
• Its ossicles are shaped like anchors, up to 2 mm long, and are adhesive, making the animal hard to detach from a wetsuit.
• The tentacles have thirty to forty pairs of pinnules and can deliver food to the mouth in a few seconds.