Cucumaria frondosa

(Gunnerus, 1767)

Pudding

Description
Body cilindrical somewhat attenuating towards the end, up to 500 mm in length; coloured dark brown.

Tentacles
There are 10 thick, bushy, almost black tentacles.

Tube-feet
Tube-feet are completely retractile, arranged in numerous series, spreading to some degree also over the interradii on the dorsal side.

Skin
Skin very thick and leathery. Younger specimens with variable numbers of larger fenestrated plates and a few small tubercles in younger specimens; older specimens almost completely devoid of calcareous deposits (C. frondosa spicules).

Habitat
This species lives on hard substrata and kelps, from about 0-200 m.

Distribution
In the North Sea this species is known from the Shetland Islands and the Orkney Islands. Elsewhere widely distributed over the Arctic region.

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