Proceedings of the 7th IMT-GT UNINET and The 3rd International PSU-UNS Conferences on Bioscience

The Calcareous Spicules of Stichopus choloronotus

(Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from Pulau Payar, Malaysia.
Woo Sau Pinn*, Zulfigar Yasin & Tan Shau Hwai.
Marine Science Lab, School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia,
11800 Minden, Penang.
*Corresponding author: e-mail: abe_woo@hotmail.com, phone: +6-017-9020611

Introduction

Sea cucumbers are a worm-like and soft-bodied echinoderm found in the benthic and intertidal
area of marine environment. They are important sea products that are facing excessive fishing pressures
due to their high comodity value. Stichopus choloronotus is one of the species of sea cucumbers found
widely distributed in the Indo-Pacific area including Pulau Payar, which is situated in the Straits of
Malacca (Massin et al., 2002). Calcarerous spicules or also known as ossicles, are primarily important
features in sea cucumber that are used for species identification and constructing the systematics of sea
cucumbers. This study attempts to illustrate the different types and distribution of calcareous spicules
found in S. chloronotus of Pulau Payar, Malaysia.

Method and Materials

Samples of Stichopus chloronotus were collected from Pulau Payar, Malaysia using SCUBA. S.
choloronotus is one of the easiest species of Stichopus to be identified in the field with distinctive blue-
black colour in the body coupled with two pairs of papillae tipped with orange and yellow each pair on
the dorsal and ventral body. Specimens collected were anesthethized using sea water added with menthol
crystal. Colour photographs of the dorsal and ventral of the body were taken before preservation. Samples
were then preserved in 95% alcohol. Identification was then done by comparison of in situ photos with
the references by Clark and Rowe (1971) and Zulfigar et al. (2008). In the laboratory, small pieces of
body wall tissue from the bivium, trivium, oral tentacle and tube feet were removed and dissolved in
sodium hypochorite to acquire the spicules. Permanent slides were prepared and observed under light
microscope.

Results and Discussion

Dorsal and ventral body wall spicules dominantly consist of table shaped spicules as shown in
Figure 1. Rosette is almost absent when only one single rosette is found in the samples examined.

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Proceedings of the 7th IMT-GT UNINET and The 3rd International PSU-UNS Conferences on Bioscience

Figure 1. Some examples of Calcareous spicules found at A: dorsal body; B: ventral body; C: tentacle
(scale 100 x); D: tube feet of Stichopus chloronatus (scale 200x).

Disc at the base of the table are smooth and perforated with 4 large central holes and 4 – 10
smaller peripheral holes. The pillars of the table vary from 3 to 4 pillars with a cross beam uniting each
pillars forming a spire. Crown of the spine are various depending on the number of pillars. The 4 pillar
tables form a Maltese cross and some to a square shaped crown. Some 4 pillar table do not join altogether
with the single beam instead forms a spire with the squared C-shaped crown. Table with 3 pillars are also
not completely joined with the beam forming a right angle bend. At the top of each pillars at the crown of
the spire, a group of 2 – 4 spines jutted out from each pillars.

In the ventral tube feet dominantly made out of large perforated plates. Shape of the plates found
to be rectangular and somewhat square in shape. Some rectangular plates have a distinctive perforation of
2 larger holes and numerous smaller peripheral holes distributed all over the plate. Other plates have holes
with approximately equal size across the whole plate. The edges around the plates are jagged but less
pointy and sharp. Tables have their pillars reduced to nearly absent. The tables are same with those from
the body wall with 4 large central holes on the perforated base. There are generally three different sizes
of spiny rods in the tube feet. Larger rods have a fairly large central extension with perforation at the mid-
part of the rods. There are larger rods without large extension but instead a smaller extension without
perforation. Mid-sized and smaller rods do not have any extension in their mid rods. Both of these rods
are slightly curved but smaller rods recorded less curvature to straight rods as compared to the mid-sized
rods. They too are spiny but smoother surface is observed along the inner of the curvature surface. Both

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Proceedings of the 7th IMT-GT UNINET and The 3rd International PSU-UNS Conferences on Bioscience

ends of the larger rods are sometimes forked which absent in the mid and smaller size rods. Only a few C-
shaped rods and modified C-shaped with perforation on the top of the rods are found.

In the tentacle, tables are reduced to an irregular disk without pillars having the same appearance
of a very small perforated plate. The perforation on the disk is similar to the tables of the body wall with 4
larger central holes and surrounded by smaller peripheral holes. Ending around the disk are consists of
spiny edges.

References

Clark, A.M. & Rowe, F.W.E. (1971). Monograph of Shallow-water Indo-West Pacific
Echinoderms. London: Trustee of the British Museum. Pp 171-209.
Massin, C., Zulfigar, Y., Tan, S.H. & Rizal Boss, S.Z. (2002) The genus Stichopus
(Echinodermata: Holothuroidea) from the Johore Marine Park (Malaysia) with the
description of two new species. Biologie, 72: 73-99.
Zulfigar, Y., Sim, Y.K., Aileen Tan, S.H. & Shirayama, Y. (2008). Field Guide to the
Echinoderms (Sea Cucumbers and Sea Stars) of Malaysia. Japan: Kyoto University
Press, Pp 24-65.

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