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Echinoderms of Zihuatanejo

PHYLUM ECHINODERMATA

Bottleneck Sea Cucumber

Holothuria impatiens

Holothuria impatiens, commonly known as the Bottleneck Sea Cucumber, is a small tropical sea cucumber in the family Holothuriidae. It is widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific and also occurs in the eastern Pacific, including shallow reef environments along the Pacific coast of the Americas. Holothuria impatiens is primarily a deposit feeder, moving slowly across sandy bottoms, rubble, and reef flats while ingesting sediment. It extracts organic matter, bacteria, and microscopic algae from the sand, then expels cleaner sediment behind it.

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