A Newly Recorded Sea Cucumber (Holothuroidea: Aspidochirotida: Synallactidae) from East Sea, Korea

• Main Authors: Lee, Taekjun, Kim, Donghwan, Shin, Sook
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Korean Society of Systematic Zoology 2014
• Subjects: Synallactes nozawai; sea cucumber; taxonomy; morphology; East Sea; Korea; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Zoology; QL1-991; Bering Sea; Pacific; Pillar
• Online Access: https://doaj.org/article/547289635dd5476ca6eb58c60fd682f6

Five sea cucumbers were collected from Gisamun and Gonghyeonjin of Gangwon-do, in the East Sea, Korea from 27 December 2009 to 14 November 2012. These specimens were classified as Synallactes nozawai Mitsukuri, 1912 belonging to the family Synallactidae of order Aspidochirotida based on morphological characteristics. The family, genus and species are recorded for the first time from Korea. The distinct morphological characteristics of this species are as follows: body flexible, with thin gelatinous body wall; presence of numerous tubercles along dorsal ambulacra table of body wall consisted of three- or four-armed disk and a spire-form pillar. This species usually inhabits the deep sea and is distributed in the Northwest Pacific from northern Japan to Bering Sea.