Psychropotes longicauda
Source-cited species reference: taxonomy from WoRMS, biology from SeaLifeBase, occurrence map from GBIF, description from Wikipedia.
Psychropotes longicauda is a species of sea cucumber in the family Psychropotidae. It inhabits the deep sea where the adult is found on the seabed. The larva is pelagic and has an appendage shaped like a sail on its back which may enable it to move through the water.
- Scientific name
- Psychropotes longicauda
- Authority
- Théel, 1882
- Family
- Psychropotidae
- Order
- Elasipodida
- Depth range
- 1100–5173 m
- Habitat zone
- benthic
- Gbif occurrence records
- 5,371
Classification (WoRMS)
Full classification as recorded by WoRMS: Kingdom: Animalia · Phylum: Echinodermata · Class: Holothuroidea · Order: Elasipodida · Family: Psychropotidae · Genus: Psychropotes.
Accepted name: Psychropotes longicauda · Authority: Théel, 1882 · Taxonomic status: accepted · AphiaID: 124778.
Synonyms and superseded combinations recorded for this taxon: Psychropotes brucei Vaney, 1908; Psychropotes fucata Perrier R., 1896; Psychropotes furcata R. Perrier, 1896; Psychropotes grimaldii Hérouard, 1896; Psychropotes laticauda Vaney, 1908; Psychropotes longicauda var. antarctica Vaney, 1908.
Source: World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124778 (CC BY 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Biology and life history (SeaLifeBase)
Measured values published by SeaLifeBase for Psychropotes longicauda. Only fields the database actually holds for this species are shown; these are database values, not aquarium guidance.
Depth range: 1100–5173 m · Habitat zone: benthic.
Source: SeaLifeBase species summary (SpecCode 139295) — https://www.sealifebase.se/summary/Psychropotes-longicauda.html (CC BY-NC 3.0 — non-commercial use only). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Distribution and occurrence records (GBIF)
5,371 georeferenced occurrence records for Psychropotes longicauda are published through GBIF from 21 countries or marine areas. The map above plots 45 distinct locations from a sample of 3,000 records, omitting 2 inland records that carry an institution's coordinates rather than a collection site; it shows where the species has been observed and reported, not a modelled range.
Most records by country or area: United States of America (55); Australia (27); Antarctica (20); Portugal (16); New Zealand (9).
The full country table, WoRMS marine regions and the sampling notes are on this species' Distribution page.
Source: GBIF Occurrence Search (taxonKey 4342746) — https://www.gbif.org/occurrence/search?taxon_key=4342746&has_coordinate=true (records CC0 / CC BY); WoRMS distribution records (MarineRegions) — https://www.marinespecies.org/aphia.php?p=taxdetails&id=124778 (CC BY 4.0); Natural Earth 110m basemap — https://www.naturalearthdata.com/ (public domain). Accessed 2026-09-23.
Description and natural history (Wikipedia)
The animal is sometimes called the "gummy squirrel" because it looks like a squirrel-shaped gummy bear.
As an adult, Psychropotes longicauda has eighteen short feeding tentacles, each with a leathery terminal disc with retractile processes projecting around the margin. Its body is very flexible and can grow to a length of between 14 and 32 cm. It is approximately cylindrical but broadest and somewhat flattened near the anterior end. At the posterior end there is a dorsal, tail-like appendage up to 12 cm long, either pointed or with a pair of unequal-length tips. There is a double row of small tube feet along the ventral surface and a single row of larger tube feet on each side of the body. The skin is soft and pliable and the colour is violet in preserved specimens.
The larva has ten tentacles and is transparent with a reddish hue at the anterior end. It has an unpaired gelatinous dorsal appendage. Larvae can grow to at least 23 mm in length excluding the appendage which may be nearly as long as the body.
Psychropotes longicauda is a cosmopolitan abyssal species of sea cucumber and is found on the seabed throughout the world's deep oceans. Its larva is pelagic and is often found more than 500 m above the ocean floor but still in the abyssal zone.
Adult Psychropotes longicauda are found on soft sediments through which they sift with the aid of their feeding tentacles. The eggs, with a diameter of 4.4 mm, are the largest of any echinoderm. The size of the eggs, and the fact that the larvae do not appear to feed, makes it so that the yolk nourishes them for an extended time and that they can therefore disperse widely.
Source: Wikipedia: Psychropotes longicauda — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychropotes_longicauda (CC BY-SA 4.0). Accessed 2026-09-23.
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