Polycheira

Polycheira is a genus of holothurians (sea cucumbers) found in tropical Indo-Pacific.

Polycheira
Polycheira rufescens
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Echinodermata
Class: Holothuroidea
Order: Apodida
Family: Chiridotidae
Genus: Polycheira
Eschscholtz, 1829
Species

See text.

A curious pattern of reproduction has been found in Polycheira rufescens where specimens change their sex from male to female and from female to male in a reproductive season [1]

Systematics

Polycheira appear to be closely related to the genus Chiridota (both belong to the subfamily Chiridotinae).[2] The type species of the genus is Polycheira rufescens (Brandt, 1835).

The following species are recognised in the genus Polycheira:[3]

  • Polycheira echinata Heding, 1928
  • Polycheira rufescens (Brandt, 1835)


References
  1. Arakaki,S. et al.,Sex change and spatial distribution pattern in an intertidal holothurian Polycheira rufescens in the reproductive season. Res. Popul. Ecol. 1999, vol. 41, No 3
  2. Kerr,A.M. Phylogeny of the Apodan Holothurians (Echinodermata) inferred from morphology. Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society (2001), 133
  3. MarineSpecies.org - Polycheira


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