Lambert's Worm Sea Cucumber
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- Name / Latin
- Lambert's Worm Sea Cucumber — Synaptula lamperti
- Brief description
- A thin worm-like sea cucumber of whitish color, often forming dense aggregations on sponges and corals. Feeds on organic particles and detritus, collecting them from the substrate surface using tentacles.
- Size:
- up to 10 cm
- Depth:
- 1–30 m
- Habitat:
- Red Sea, Indian Ocean, Western Pacific Ocean
- Family:
- Synaptidae
- Type:
- Echinoderms
- Activity:
- predominantly nocturnal
- Conservation status:
- Not Evaluated (NE) — species not evaluated by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Synaptula lamperti, or Lambert's worm sea cucumber, is a small white species of sea cucumber. It prefers to live in groups on the seabed, often in the vicinity of sponges. These sea cucumbers have a gherkin shape with short tentacles at one end and feed by filtering organic particles from the surface of the sponge. The species Synaptula lamperti inhabits coral reefs in the Indo-Pacific region.
Sea cucumbers belong to the group of echinoderms, which also includes sea urchins and sea stars. They have radial symmetry and a water vascular system that works through hydrostatic pressure. This allows them to move using suction cups known as tube feet.
