Albinism in Orange-footed Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa) in Newfoundland

Orange-footed Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa; Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) is a dark-brown species that is broadly distributed in North Atlantic and Arctic waters. Here, we document the rare occurrence of colour morphs showing various degrees of albinism, from totally white to faint orange pigmen...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The Canadian Field-Naturalist
Main Authors: Montgomery, Emaline M., Small, Tiffany, Hamel, Jean-Francois, Mercier, Annie
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: The Ottawa Field-Naturalists' Club 2019
Subjects:
Orange-footed Sea Cucumber
Cucumaria frondosa
albinism
colour diversity
Holothuroidea
sea cucumber
North Atlantic
Arctic
Canada
Newfoundland
Orange-footed sea cucumber
Online Access:https://www.canadianfieldnaturalist.ca/index.php/cfn/article/view/2047
https://doi.org/10.22621/cfn.v133i2.2047
Description
Summary:Orange-footed Sea Cucumber (Cucumaria frondosa; Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) is a dark-brown species that is broadly distributed in North Atlantic and Arctic waters. Here, we document the rare occurrence of colour morphs showing various degrees of albinism, from totally white to faint orange pigmentation. These unusually coloured individuals were found across a broad distribution range in eastern Canada and northeastern United States, with their occurrence in Newfoundland samples ranging from 0.2% to 0.5%. Two fully albino individuals were noticeably smaller than other colour morphs. The occurrence of rare, unusually coloured sea cucumbers is important from an ecological standpoint and may also have commercial implications.

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