Exercise___ Phylum Echinodermata

I. Introduction
Members of this phylum include the feather stars, sea-cucumbers, brittle stars, starfish,
sea urchin and the sand dollars. Originally grouped among the radiata group due to its radial
symmetry, but this is only secondary. The larval form is motile and bilateral
Morphologically the echinoderms can be pentameric with five or more arms, elongate or
hemispherical in form. The tube feet or podia is their only means of motility which is present
ventrally in rows. They possess an epidermis and dermis which covers the calcareous
plates/ossicles which may be either fused or unfused. The muscular system is via muscle
bundles and layer with it level of development inversely proportional to the degree of
calcareous plate fusion, being most developed among holothurians. Echinoderms have a
circulatory system composed of as water vascular system using environment water as the
medium of transport. The digestive system is complete although the location of the mouth and
anus vary among the different classes. A lacunar or haemal system composed of
interconnecting spaces called lacunae acts as the circulatory system. The nervous system is
located dorsally or ventrally with poorly developed sense organs. Respiration is accomplished
by passing water through the water vascular system except in holothurians which possess
respiratory trees. Echinoderms are dioecious with the larvae being fertilized externally.
The members of this phylum are marine organisms, most found in deep waters. They
have no significant economic value other than sea cucumbers which are edible. Starfishes are
a menace to coral reefs and/or clam farms since these are the two most common meals they
thrive on.

II. Objectives: The students should be able to --

1. Differentiate the members of each class through their external morphology.
2. Describe students with the different parts or the various larval forms and be able to
correlate their basic architecture with its adult form.

III. Methodology

A. Class Crinoidea. Also known as the feather stars, they got this name because of the
morphology they possess. The body can be divided into the stalk and corona. The stalk has a
root-like structure called cirri which functions for attachment although free swimming feather
stars have no stalk altogether. The corona is a box-like structure composed of a tegmen
(dorsal) and a calyx (ventral) radiating from it are pinnate arms or brachiae. Draw
a representative of this organism and label the parts mentioned.

Pinnules

Arm/Brachiae
Calyx Cirri
 Figure 1. Preserved specimen of a feather star

B. Class Holothuroidea. Composed of the sea cucumbers, they are soft bodied due to
the unfused condition of the calcareous plates/ossicles. It is found living on its side, the oral
end recognizable by the presence of oral tentacles which can be inverted into the body
when disturbed. They also possess a respiratory tree that extends from the pharynx to the
cloaca. Tube feet are present all throughout the body of the organism. Draw the following sea
cucumbers (and differentiate them by their color, banding pattern and type of oral tentacle
possessed):
1. Actinopyga sp.

2. Bohadschia sp.
3. Holothuria sp.

4. Opheodesoma sp.
5. Stichopus sp.

6. Synapta sp.
 7. Thelonota sp.

C. Class Stelleroidea. Rayed echinoderms with pentameric body form.

1) Subclass Asteroidea. Composed of the starfish, they are characterized by the presence of a
central disk with 5 to 50 arms radiating from it. The ventral side has 2 to 5 rows of tube feet
with an ambulacral groove running along middle of each arm. The dorsal side has
superficial structures such as the spines, tubercles, warts, granules, pedicellariae and papillae.
The madreporite is located slightly lateral to the dorsal side. Get the following preserved slides
of a typical larvae bipinnaria, a ray cross-section, and a pedicellariae. Label the parts
mentioned. Draw also some adults representatives.
Figure 2a. Starfish larvae (bipinnaria)
Figure 2b. Starfish ray cross-section
Figure 2c. Starfish pedicellariae
 Central Disk

Spines

Figure 2d. Acanthaster sp. (Crown of Thorns)

Ambulacral Groove
Figure 2e. Linckia sp.
Figure 2f. Culcita sp. (Pin Cushion starfish)

Figures 2g-2k. Other specimens:

Nardoa sp.
 Archanster sp.

Pentaceropsis sp.

Echiaster sp.
 Patiriella sp.

2) Subclass Ophiuroidea. These are composed of the brittlestars. Characterized by the

presence of a very distinct central disk and motile arms/rays due to a loosely jointed ossicle
plates. The is no ambularcral and they respire through organs called burse or internals sacs
present at two per arm. Draw a specimen of a brittlestar and label the parts mentioned.

Central Disk

Motile Ray
 Figure 3. Brittlestar (Macrophiotrix sp.)

E. Class Echinodea. Composed of the sea urchins and the sand dollars. They are
hemispherical in form with the later above mentioned organisms possessin no movable spines
(either primary or secondary). The body of sea urchins is composed of fused plates formin a
test studded with concave structures called tubercles which act as a ball and socket
attachment of the spines. Sand dollars on the other hand have dorsla ornamentations referred
to as petaloids which functions in respiration. Its counterpart in sea urchins are five pairs of
gills. Get a preserve slide of sea urchin larvae pluteus draw a representative and label the
parts. Draw also some adult forms and label the parts mentioned above.
 Figure 4a. Sea urchin larvae (pluteus)
Calcareous Test

Tubercle

Figure 4b. Heterocentrotus sp. (pencil slate urchin)

Figure 4c 4h. Other specimens:

Astropyga sp.
 Echinotrix sp.

Toxopneutes sp.
Tripneutes sp.

Salamacris sp.

Petaloids
 Clypeaster sp.

F. Class Concentricycloidea. These organisms are only about 2 to 9 mm across and

found in the deeper portions of marine coastlines. They disc like in form and are covered
aborally with plate-like ossicles with marginal spines located around the periphery. The water
vascular system is composed of two ring canals instead of one, with the podia arising from the
upper one. A GIT is absent. A pair of gonad is associated with each of the five bursae. Very
little is known of this organism. Draw a dorsal view of the organism and its ring canal system.
Label the parts.

Figure 5a. Xyloplax medusiformis

Figure 5b. Concentricycloid water vascular system